Tag Archives: DeShone Kizer

Browns, Draft, NFL

2018 NFL Draft QB Rankings

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*Rankings are made based on watching three full games on each quarterback from the past two seasons

1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma 6’0 215

Mayfield is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NCAA history. All this coming after being a walk on at Texas Tech who would later transfer to Oklahoma where he became a legend, a Heisman winner, a Davey O’Brien award winner, a Maxwell Award winner, and a Big 12 champion. In case you missed that, Mayfield is a winner.

His lack of size held him back from getting serious college looks, but the size of his heart, will, and leadership were overlooked, and NFL teams cannot afford to make the same mistake college coaches did. Often compared to Johnny Manziel by those who don’t take the time to watch him, Mayfield is a firey competitor who is much more Philip Rivers than Johnny Football.

Adding to his leadership, heart, and will, Mayfield is the most accurate quarterback in this draft. His ball placement, as well as above average arm strength, mixed with his leadership characteristics are what truly sets him apart for me and is the reason he has maintained the number one spot in my QB rankings.

Pro Comparison: Philip Rivers

2. Josh Rosen, UCLA 6’4″ 226

Much like Baker, Rosen is often misunderstood. He has been mentioned as uncoachable due to an issue with Trent Dilfer at the Elite 11 camp and others have questioned his love of the game of football. While not the leader of men that Mayfield is, the off the field questions with Rosen seem strange to me. He is his own man and expects perfection from him self. He is much more Peyton Manning in that aspect than an uncoachable football hater.

Rosen demonstrates great footwork and excellent touch and accuracy with the football. The biggest issue with Rosen is that he does tend to force things at times when the pocket breaks down as he tries to do to much with the football. This causes poor throws and bad decisions. If he can learn to trust those around him, Rosen has all of the skills to be the best quarterback in this draft.

Pro Comparison: Matt Ryan

3. Sam Darnold, USC, 6’4 220

Darnold is possibly the cleanest prospect in this quarterback class. No off the field worries. Outside of his turnovers, he looks great on tape. But for me, he is not yet as polished a passer as Rosen or Mayfield.

Darnold has great size, accuracy, ball placement, and is very athletic. The only downside to Darnold is the rate in which he turns the ball over. He had 13 interceptions and nine fumbles in 2017 and has 20 interceptions in his last 20 college games. Part of the reason for his turnovers may be his elongated delivery which at times may allow defenders to make a break on the ball and cause the interceptions.

In a few years, Darnold may be the best quarterback in this class. His ability to anticipate throws and see guys open is the one thing that he is far better at than anyone else in this class. A season on the bench would do him wonders, but like Rosen and Mayfield I believe he is good enough to take the field immediately.

Pro Comparison: Tony Romo

4. Lamar Jackson, Louisville, 6’3 200

Lamar Jackson is the most elite playmaker in this draft. He ran for more yards than Saquon Barkley and won the Heisman in 2016. He is a home run threat with his arm and his legs.

Jackson throws the ball with ease and elite velocity. However, it does not always go where he wants it to. His accuracy is average at best. The biggest downside with Jackson is that his god given abilities are so good that he some times relies on them rather than staying true to technique, thus allowing the ball to sail and for him to bail on plays rather than take what the defense is giving him.

If a team is willing to build an offense around him and work on his technique, Jackson can be a superstar in the NFL.

Pro Comparison: Michael Vick

5. Josh Allen, Wyoming 6’5″ 235

Wow. Allen’s arm is incredible. He can sling the ball with ease. He is also the prototypical size you want in an NFL quarterback. He also has above average athleticism which allows him to make plays when the pocket breaks down.

Allen is the biggest boom or bust prospect in this draft. He could grow to be an amazing NFL passer or he could fizzle out in a few years. His arm strength is off the charts, he can throw far, he can throw hard, but it does not always go where he needs it to. He has an issue of not resetting his base and relies solely on his rocket arm which causes the ball to sail and fly all around the field. He has never had an accuracy percentage above 56%.

Very few quarterbacks become more accurate once reaching the NFL, Matt Stafford is the last one that comes to mind. While Allen could eventually become like Stafford or Ben Roethlisberger, a team is going to need to be patient with him.

Pro Comparison: DeShone Kizer

Others:

6. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

7. Mike White, Western Kentucky

8. Luke Falk, Washington State

9. Kyle Lauletta, Richmond

10. Kurt Benkert, Virgina

Browns, NFL

Browns-Ravens Pregame Thoughts

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  • The Browns held the Steelers and all world running back Le’Veon Bell to just 35 yards rushing last week. The Ravens only threw the ball three times in the second half against Cincinnati last week in a 20-0 victory over the offensively challenged Bengals. QB Joe Flacco only completed one pass of more than 10 yards. Something will have to give. Are the Browns as good against the run as they showed? If so, they could make it a long day for the Ravens offense.
  • Flacco threw just 17 times last week but is notorious for destroying the Browns. Last season he threw for nearly 600 yards and five touchdowns in two games.
  • DeShone Kizer looked very solid last week against a really good Pittsburgh front seven. He will have to be even better today against the Ravens defense which has excellent linebackers. Terrell Suggs seems to be an ageless wonder and CJ Mosley is really coming into his own as an NFL player. Along with youngsters Kamalei Correa and Patrick Onwuasor they are deep and instinctive. The Ravens linebackers all read play action extremely well and also get their hands up quick when rushing which can force even the veteran quarterbacks of the league to throw nearly a handful of interceptions (looking at you Andy Dalton).
  • The Ravens secondary is also very good. It’s a veteran mix that will prove to be a challenge for the Browns young wide outs. Safeties Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle are extremely talented ball hawks who can also tackle.
  • Cleveland will have seven wide outs dressed for Sunday’s game after bringing Rashard Higgins up from the practice squad. The Ravens will have only a few corners healthy for the game with Jaylen Hill and Sheldon Price both ruled out. That leaves talented corners Brandon Carr, Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey, and nickel back Ladarius Webb as the only healthy corners. Maybe by adding Higgins the Browns are hoping to beat the talented secondary by using fresh men on a consistent basis against an undermanned unit.
  • While they may try to use their depth to win in the passing game, it’ll be the running game they determines whether or not the Browns win this game. Isaiah Crowell carries 17 times last week for just 33 yards and looked hesitant at the line of scrimmage. The Browns and especially Kizer will need him to be more decisive. If the line opens holes for him, he needs to stick his foot in the ground and go. They can’t win this game without a solid contribution from Crowell.
  • The play above accounted for a loss of yards. That is a huge hole to run through by NFL standards.
  • Kenny Britt’s drop on second and 19 last week may have cost the Browns the game. Yes, there were other factors that contributed to the loss, I get that. On the play before Britt’s drop, Browns center JC Tretter was destroyed by Steelers defensive linemen Javon Hargrave who pushed Tretter back like he was on roller skates for a sack of Kizer and a nine yard loss. On the next play, the rookie QB moved forward in the pocket, went through his progressions, and found a wide open Britt near the first down marker only to see his vet wide out drop it. Drops are a part of the game but that play needs to be made. All the momentum was trending in the Browns direction and that hurt.
  • The Browns are a much improved team all around. They proved that last week. In order to beat this Ravens team they will have to shut down the run game and keep veteran wide outs Mike Wallace and Jeremy Marlin from making big plays. Look for Greg Williams to use a similar strategy to what he used last week against the Steelers where he sent his safeties back 20-25 yards from the line of scrimmage to keep the corners from getting beat deep. The game plan all but nullified deep threat Martavis Bryant last week.
  • While I think the Browns have an excellent chance at winning this game, there is just as good a chance that they get blown out. The Baltimore defense is really talented. The linebackers look like they can give a rookie QB nightmares whether they are hitting him or knocking his passes around to cause turnovers. Kizer will have to take what the defense gives him which means Duke Johnson could be the key to a win with Kizer completing dump-off passes to the Swiss Army knife out of Miami. If Duke can break one or two, flip the field, it would go a long way to helping his QB and team.
  • With all things considered I think the Browns will play well, but fall short in a 16-13 loss in Baltimore.
  • Fantasy guys to have in this game: Duke in PPR leagues. Corey Coleman and Kizer have a connection and he will likely lead the Browns in targets. He could be a high WR3. You could also run out Maclin or Wallace in deep leagues as WR3 or flex. Javorious Allen is the Ravens version of Duke and also gets carries out of the backfield, he could be a deep flex guy. The real wildcard here is Flacco, who always kills the Browns. He’s a risk due to his back, but could be high reward if you roll with him.
  • Pictures in this article courtesy of the NFL, CBS, and NFL Gamepass app.
Browns, NFL

Kizer Signs Rookie Deal

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The Cleveland Browns and rookie QB DeShone Kizer have agreed to terms on four-year rookie contract. The deal is worth just under $5 million and includes a $1.7 million signing bonus. 

Kizer, the 52nd overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Notre Dame, is expected to begin the season as the third quarterback on the depth chart. He has seen most of his snaps in this weeks minicamp with the first teamers however and has looked decent, but like a rookie, in his limited action. 

The Toledo native will be a project but has the skills to be a very good quarterback in the NFL. 

Browns, Draft

Browns Get QB at 52

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With the 52nd pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer.

Kizer a 6’4″, 233 pound, redshirt sophomore from Toledo, Ohio, was looked at by some as the number one quarterback in the draft at the beginning of the scouting process. He looks the part of a QB with size, strength, and above average arm talent, but he does not come without issues.

His issues are the reason many dropped him to their fourth ranked QB in this draft and that he slid out of the first round to 52nd overall in the second round. He has severe mental lapses. He holds the ball too long at times and takes unnecessary sacks in a clean pocket. He lets his mechanics go to the wayside and throws the ball all over the field and that is why he had an interception in 15 of 23 starts.

Overall, it is really a low risk, high reward draft pick and could pan out nicely. To this point the Browns have done an excellent job in acquiring talent, gaining four very good players and first round pick next year.

The Browns will pick next at 65 overall, the first pick of the third round.