20 most disappointing Cleveland Browns quarterbacks of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
Most disappointing Cleveland Browns quarterbacks: 7. DeShone Kizer (2017)
It’s hard to put all the blame for DeShone Kizer’s failure on the quarterback himself. A product of Notre Dame, Kizer was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, which was the same season the Browns decided against drafting Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, and Mitch Trubisky.
Armed with three picks in the opening round, Cleveland walked away with Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers, and David Njoku. There’s a strong chance that they can now enter 2020 without Peppers and Njoku (who requested a trade) and they kept Kizer (the 52nd overall pick) for just one season.
The reason he shouldn’t take all the blame is due to the fact that just about every scout said he wasn’t ready to lead an NFL team. Kizer had minimal experience for the Irish and while he showed great arm talent, he was raw and needed time to develop.
Former head coach Hue Jackson decided he knew better than the rest and named him the starter as a rookie. Unsurprisingly, he struggled mightily and was the starter for 15 of their 16 losses that season. In all, Kizer completed just 53.6 percent of his passes for 2,894 yards with 11 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
He was traded the following offseason to the Green Bay Packers and appeared in three games as a reserve for them. Kizer was released ahead of the 2019 season and added to the Oakland Raiders roster. He spent the season inactive and does not have a team heading into the 2020 NFL Season.