Browns land DeShone Kizer, but patience and continuity are crucial to his development
PHILADELPHIA — The Cleveland Browns must be praised for how they played this draft to this point.
That’s not a misprint. They have pulled the strings so nicely on this draft so far, and landing our third highest-rated quarterback is the culmination of that to this point.
DeShone Kizer is a young, highly talented, physically gifted quarterback who could be very good in the NFL. That was the quarterback we saw in 2015 with a nice surrounding cast at Notre Dame. In 2016, with the team decimated, Kizer also fell off. He likely was hindered, too, by a less-than-cozy relationship with the coaching staff as well.
Yes, he has warts and needs time to develop. He’s 21 and is smart but also has a lot to learn. If the Browns want to make this pick work, they cannot rush him into the lineup. Additionally, they had better give Hue Jackson time.
It would be the Browns’ m.o. to fire another coach after another bad season. But if they truly want to maximize this pick, Kizer and Jackson will spend the next few years together, growing hand in hand.
The Browns are assembling some weapons — Corey Coleman, David Njoku and (maybe) Josh Gordon — and Kizer could have some really tasty options to throw to. But that should not be as the 2017 starter. Why hold him back? His anticipation and accuracy are not yet NFL-grade, and he needs more work taking snaps from center and reading defenses.
It takes time.
That’s not something Browns fans like to read. They know all about time. But with three nice picks and now Kizer, something very interesting is brewing in Cleveland. We just hope the Browns don’t take him down the Blaine Gabbert or Jason Campbell route and make him learn a new offense every year and crush his confidence before he has a chance to develop.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
