DeShone Kizer NFL Draft Outlook: Cleveland Browns
Former Notre Dame quarterback, DeShone Kizer, is a projected first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and has plenty of teams looking his way.
There are plenty of teams in the NFL looking for a new franchise quarterback this offseason. With a number of disastrous seasons in 2016, there’s lots of panic. When teams panic, they tend to look for a change in one major aspect of that team. If their coach isn’t to blame, the position usually considered for blame is the quarterback.
When a player like DeShone Kizer declares for the draft, it begins to spark rumors. Where a quarterback who some assume to be NFL ready will be drafted is a question many try to answer.
There’s plenty of teams the former Irish play caller can land in this year’s draft. As a considerably high projected pick, there’s a lot of teams thinking of using their first-round pick on Kizer. One of those teams will likely have the first pick in the draft and another top ten pick from the Philadelphia Eagles. That team, the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns are a team any draftee will say they’re happy to be apart of, but in all reality, no one wants to go to the Browns. They’re known as the worst team in football with little to nothing positive happening within the organization.
As a quarterback, it’s only worse. The Browns have no offensive line outside of Joe Thomas and seem to be getting worse defensively each week that passes. If you’re put into this team as a starting QB, you’re expected to lead a team that has nothing to offer you.
The last quarterback to win in Cleveland, Johnny Manziel. If that doesn’t show how bad this organization does, I don’t know what does. This season alone, the Browns have had five different quarterbacks in their backfield, and six players as the man under center if you count Terrell Pryor.
What the Browns do have going for them is their running game. Whoever takes over for the Browns next season will come into a team that has developed a strong run game. Isiah Crowell is quickly establishing himself as one of the premiere rushers in the NFL. Next season, Cleveland will rely heavily on their run game taking pressure off of Kizer or whoever is calling the plays.
The Browns have two picks in the first-round of the draft. Of those picks, they’re expected to have the first and another top 10 pick. Kizer could fall to the bottom of the top 10, so if Cleveland is looking to draft Kizer, it’d likely be with their second pick in the opening round.
Kizer will be stepping into a team that has little to offer. Joe Thomas is one of the best offensive linemen in the league, but outside of him, the Brown’s line is one of the worst in the NFL.
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The positives will be Crowell returning from one of his best seasons, and Corey Coleman having a year of experience under his belt. If the Browns are able to keep Pryor this offseason, Kizer would have two strong options for his wide receivers. With Gary Barnidge at tight end, he could have a solid unit catching passes.
His biggest concern will be staying healthy. Because of the atrocious line, the Browns have gone through three starting quarterbacks, who all at one point were injured during the season. This is probably because Cleveland has allowed 53 sacks through 15 weeks this season.
Cleveland needs a play caller, especially a franchise one. But if they’re unable to protect him, they may be searching for awhile before they can find one durable enough. If that franchise quarterback is Kizer, he better hope they fix some of that line this offseason.
Kizer would be happy to be drafted by any team, but the Browns don’t offer much potential for the future NFL QB.