Notre Dame Football: Why DeShone Kizer is right choice for Browns

2. The potential is there

Let’s not pretend that Kizer is getting this job solely because it’s going to sell tickets. Kizer was a second round pick for a reason and did have a very successful (statistically speaking) career at Notre Dame.

As mentioned before, many of his knocks come on the account of inexperience and team play. Let’s get this straight- last year’s season was an absolute mess for the Fighting Irish. Even head coach Brian Kelly, who has done fairly well with the Irish over the past few years, could not seem to get his team to play at a high level.

To put this blame on Kizer would be unwarranted. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 26 touchdowns to only nine interceptions, a line many would expect to carry the Irish to at least a decent bowl game. As we all know, that’s not how things played out, and Kizer often takes the fall for it.

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After watching Kizer during his time at Notre Dame, it his clear that he has all of the physical abilities to make it in the NFL. However, with quarterbacks pretty much being groomed for stardom from day one, there is plenty of talent. What often lacks is translating that talent into on the field success.

Kizer’s perceived ability to mentally manage his game took a hit just days before the NFL Draft when Kelly suggested that the rookie take more time at the college level before going pro. Here is a portion of his comments:

"“He should still be in college… He needs more time to grow in so many areas, not just on the field but off the field.”"

This isn’t exactly what Kizer or his potential suitors wanted to see out of a former head coach, and it may be partially responsible for the fall he experienced in the draft. Nevertheless, Kizer is where he is now and nothing can change that. Browns fans have been molded into being cautiously optimistic when it comes to quarterback expectations, perhaps giving Kizer a little more leeway.

After all, expectations weren’t very high for the young Kizer when he threw two late touchdowns to beat Virginia in his first meaningful snaps as a sophomore. While the stakes are a little higher now, there’s little reason to believe that it will be Kizer’s mental maturity holding him back in Cleveland.