BEREA: The Browns used the NFL Draft to invest in a quarterback from Ohio after all.
The franchise turned to Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer with the hope the Toledo native will become its quarterback of the future, selecting him in the second round (No. 52 overall) on Friday night.
“He has the measurables,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “He’s a big, physical quarterback who can make all the throws that I think anybody needs to make in the National Football League. He’s intelligent. So he has the characteristics that we’re looking for.”
Kizer became the fourth quarterback drafted this year a day after three were picked in the first round, including Mentor native Mitchell Trubisky, Jackson’s presumed favorite in this quarterback class.
North Carolina’s Trubisky (No. 2, Chicago Bears), Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes (No. 10, Kansas City Chiefs) and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (No. 12, Houston Texans after a trade with Browns) came off the board before Kizer.
“The wait was well worth it now that I’m going to be able to stay at home and call myself a Cleveland Brown,” Kizer said on a conference call shortly after legendary running back Jim Brown emphatically announced the selection in Philadelphia.
The Browns privately worked out all the top quarterbacks before the draft and were thrilled with the value they got by picking Kizer, 21, where they did.
“We felt like we knew him well and were surprised that he was there and available to us at 52,” head of football operations Sashi Brown said. “... We value the position. We felt like there was a guy that fell to us in the draft at the right value for us. He’s a guy that’s played really good football.
“Various people have talked about how he obviously did not have the year he wanted to have last year, recognizes that, but he’s got tremendous skills to work with, rare skills, and traits to work with. So we like that. We like the opportunity to add that.”
Not long after the Browns picked Kizer, they selected Charlotte defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi with the first pick of the third round (No. 65). He became the first player drafted from his school. The Browns coached in the Senior Bowl, and Ogunjobi impressed them in the college all-star game. He figures to help fill a need at three-technique in the 4-3 base scheme of new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
But Kizer was the Browns’ most important and intriguing pick because he plays the game’s most important position and the organization needs a long-term answer at quarterback more than any team.
Investing in Kizer in the second round will quiet the speculation about the Browns trading for a veteran quarterback like New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo or Cincinnati Bengals backup AJ McCarron. ESPN reported the Browns inquired Thursday night about trading for Garoppolo, but the Patriots were not interested in striking a deal.
Jackson said it’s too early for him to reveal how he’ll handle the quarterback roster with Kizer joining Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler and Kevin Hogan.
“We need to get him here,” Jackson said, “and give him an opportunity to compete.”
Kizer possesses prototypical size (6-foot-4¼ and 233 pounds) and arm strength, giving the Browns a quarterback built for the rugged AFC North who’s well suited to throw in the cold, windy conditions often experienced at FirstEnergy Stadium.
“He has all the tools to be a successful quarterback in the NFL,” vice president of player personnel Andrew Berry said.
But Kizer also has mechanical issues he must correct. Inconsistent footwork often led to accuracy issues at Notre Dame.
“Accuracy and consistency are two big questions that have been asked quite a bit in this last couple months going into the draft,” Kizer said. “I’ve already made some adjustments that I’m very confident in through workouts with coach Jackson and [Browns quarterbacks] coach [David] Lee.
“I was already able to make some minor switch ups with them, and it helped me out quite a bit already. So I’m very confident that once I get to their system and I’m able to be in the facility, I believe those improvements will continue and I’ll be able to become a more accurate thrower.”
Jackson said Kizer has been very honest about his accuracy woes and knows he needs to work on them.
“The beautiful part of it was he was able to take that instruction and improve,” Jackson said. “We saw that in our workout, and I thought that was outstanding. He’s very coachable. He wants to work at it, and that’s what it’s going to take.”
Kizer went 8-3 in 2015, his first season as the starter. He completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 2,880 yards and 21 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He ran 135 times for 525 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In 2016, when Notre Dame went 4-8, he completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 2,925 yards and 26 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He rushed 129 times for 472 yards and nine touchdowns.
Jackson said at the NFL Scouting Combine in early March he wanted to investigate why a quarterback as talented as Kizer wasn’t able to lead his team to a better record this past season. Key members of his supporting cast left Notre Dame after the 2015 season, but a quarterback’s job is to elevate everyone around him.
“We feel very comfortable with his situation at Notre Dame,” Jackson said.
Kizer left Notre Dame after his redshirt sophomore season and said he learned valuable lessons from a rough 2016 season, including the importance of leadership and culture.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Kizer should have stayed in school instead of entering the draft. Kelly also said he had the most upside of any QB in this class.
“There’s a lot of room for me to go ahead and grow in the NFL,” Kizer said, “and I can’t wait to do that.”
Brown said, “We’re happy he came out.”
Jackson is confident he can mold Kizer.
“We feel like we can take a player from A to Z,” Jackson said. “But how soon that will be, what that will be, until you have a chance to get on the field with them do you really know.”