2017 NFL Draft Results: Cleveland Browns Pick QB DeShone Kizer at No. 52

After taking three first-round picks on Thursday, the Cleveland Browns were back on the clock Friday past the half-way point of the second round. With the 52nd pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Browns selected QB DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame.

Scouting Reports

When the staff at Dawgs By Nature compiled our Browns big boards, Kizer was listed as the No. 34 overall player on our cumulative big board. Heading into the pick at No. 52 overall, he was the 6th best player left on our board. Here is a scouting report from CBS Sports' Dane Brugler:

A two-year starter at Notre Dame, Kizer was an ideal fit in Notre Dame’s zone-read, shotgun scheme and consistently held off competition from Zaire (the head coach’s preferred choice to be the starter). He benefited from a strong supporting cast in 2015, but lost many of those weapons in 2016, including four of his top five receivers (including first round pick Will Fuller), a left tackle who was drafted top-10 (Ronnie Stanley) and the Irish’s leading rusher (C.J. Prosise) – pass-catchers converted only 14.3% of contested throws in 2016.

Although he would have benefited from another year of seasoning at the college level, Kizer didn’t receive the support needed from the head coach to further his development – his offensive coordinator also left to fill the head coaching vacancy at Western Kentucky. From a physical standpoint, Kizer checks all the boxes with his developed physique, impressive arm talent, natural athleticism, also owning the desired football character for the NFL level. However, he is still young in his development with most of his mistakes due to late decisions and careless throws outside of structure – will greatly benefit by quickening his process, but can he? While his film shows inconsistency in his decision-making and execution, Kizer also shows impressive throws and movements amidst the chaos that most college prospects struggle with – highest ceiling of any quarterback in this draft class.

And here is what Pro Football Focus said about Kizer:

Week-to-week—and often play-to-play–consistency is the big question for Kizer, who has at least shown the ability to make every throw, handle pressure, and maneuver the pocket like an NFL quarterback. He often makes difficult stuff look easy, but he also makes the easy stuff look difficult, and his overall accuracy is below the level of the other quarterbacks in the draft class.

Here are some quotes from scouts’ assessment on Kizer, as collected by Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

• “Really good arm strength. Can crank the ball through the tight windows. He’ll stand tall in the pocket. When he’s under pressure he doesn’t move in the pocket as well as you would like. Big dude.”
• “He should be the top guy but for some reason he’s not. The tape is just incongruent. He’s smart (Wonderlic of 28). I talked to the kid. He’s got size, a good arm, pretty good athlete. Everything lines up. It doesn’t connect. Is there a fatal flaw somewhere? Maybe the game doesn’t slow down for him.”
• “He’s a pure millennial. He’s caught up in being more of a quarterback image than being a quarterback. If he goes to the right spot with the right coach, he’ll ascend. They’re going to have to get him to focus on football. I honestly think this guy would do better in a small market. If he goes to a big market he’ll enjoy everything else that comes with the position. The one position in the building you don’t want to worry about whether he’s going to be focused on football is quarterback.”

How He Fits the Browns

Well, the Browns said they’d stop at nothing to find a quarterback. I thought they’d end up getting a veteran, but Kizer fell all the way to No. 52 after being a potential first-round pick a couple of months ago. He could be the team’s opening day starter with a good camp.

React Now

What do you think, Browns fans?