Cleveland Browns 2017 NFL Draft Profile: DeShone Kizer
Player Profile
Name
Position
Quarterback
Height/Weight
6-foot-4/233 pounds
School
Notre Dame
Stats (link)
2016 – 12 games, 2,925 passing yards, 58.7 completion percentage, 26 touchdowns, 9 interceptions.
2015 – 13 games, 2,880 passing yards, 62.9 completion percentage, 21 touchdowns, 10 interceptions.
Kizer has impressive arm strength and a nice frame to work with at the next level. He has general awareness of where his receivers are, though gets caught up with primary targets at times. The Toledo native has a great pocket presence and isn’t afraid to take a shot in order to deliver a pass.
He is a true playmaker that can use his legs as a weapon when the pocket collapses, often utilizing a spin move to avoid big hits. Kizer also had 18 total rushing touchdowns and 997 yards in his two seasons at Notre Dame.
Good footwork combined with a vision for defenders and a strong arm allows Kizer to whip it to receivers in big moments. He is sharp in deep and medium-range throws, although there is room to improve. Kizer gets the ball to the receiver, but pinpoint accuracy is a definite area that needs improvement to survive at the next level.
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The potential to be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL is all there with Kizer. But accuracy is a serious issue with him and his success will require solving this. In college, he was bailed out by leaky coverage and good receiver play but NFL defensive backs won’t give Kizer the room he had at Notre Dame. Good catches or incompletions in college will result in turnovers in the NFL.
His deep ball is quite accurate and he has the ability to hit receivers in stride in a vertical route. However, Kizer struggled to lead his teammates in slant and dig routes often in college, but this should be fixable with good coaching.
For all of the quality traits DeShone Kizer attains, there seems to be a flaw that follows it. His quality decision making helps out his lack of pinpoint accuracy, but it will only get more difficult in the NFL. Though his stature and arm strength will certainly entice NFL general managers and coaches, making him a projected first-rounder.