2017 NFL Draft: At This Point, DeShone Kizer is Hoping For the Second Round
Former Notre Dame quarterback, DeShone Kizer, heads to the 2017 NFL Draft with as much uncertainty as he could have.
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At one point, less than four months ago, Kizer was still fighting the battle for the first quarterback taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. Heck, even I had him going third to the Chicago Bears in my “Notre Dame Mock Draft 2.0,” less than a month ago.
Now, Kizer is the only one of the three (Mitch Trubisky and Deshawn Watson) former top three quarterbacks still making noise. The problem is that he’s doing it because of his constant fall on NFL Draft boards and complete uncertainty as to his future come Thursday.
Right now, some believe Kizer is a late first-rounder, while others believe he could be the fifth quarterback taken and fall as far as the end of the second round. Although the former top 10 projection seemed nice, Kizer may be willing to take the slide if it means a brighter future in the NFL.
NFL Draft experts have Kizer all over the board in the second round. ESPN’s Todd McShay says the Notre Dame product is headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick No. 62, while Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller says he’ll go 45th to the Arizona Cardinals. Even FanSided’s NFLMocks.com has Kizer’s fate chosen differently, predicting him to be selected 13th overall to the Cardinals.
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As you can tell, people have no idea where or when Kizer is going to be taken. But going back to the original statement, he may want to see himself fall out of the opening round.
Instead of being the first round pick for a team in need of a quarterback, Kizer needs to be somewhere with no pressure to start and a few years of learning ahead of him. Arizona and Pittsburgh would be prime candidates, but chances are neither will take him in the first round.
He’s got all the physical attributes of an NFL-style quarterback but lacks the mental development and accuracy he needs to play at the next level. Both of these will come with time, but right now, he’s not going to turn any NFL franchise into a contender in 2017.
Kizer’s downfall is he wants to be at the draft. He’s a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, and I’m sure the draft being in Philly isn’t helping him think clearly when it comes to whether or not he wants to attend. Chances are, though, that he isn’t going to hear his name called with the rest of the invites.
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Instead, he should wait it out at home, celebrate wit his family and feel grateful he’s likely headed somewhere with a veteran in front of him. Because, even if he doesn’t want to be a second round pick, his future is a lot brighter as one.