DeShone Kizer fails to impress during his NFL scouting combine workout

Senior writer

Sat, Mar 4, 2017, 10:43 PM

With less than two months to go before the NFL draft, there’s still no consensus on the order of the top quarterbacks.

Most people have settled on Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson as the top three, in some order. There’s still a chance for someone like Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes to jump up and join them.

With very little separation, the pre-draft workouts might mean a little more than usual. And if that’s the case, Kizer might want a do over on his combine workout.

Most observers at the combine Saturday came away unimpressed with Kizer’s workout.

This workout alone should tell talent evaluators all they need to know. DeShone Kizer shouldn't be the first QB off the board. #NFLCombine
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) March 4, 2017

Quick thoughts after attending 1st QB session. Kaaya most polished;Kizer=wow arm but erratic footwork. Beathard, Dobbs, Knight helped cause.
— Rob Rang (@RobRang) March 4, 2017

For what it's worth…most impressive QBs today
1- Watson
2-Trubisky
3- Mahomes
4-Kizer
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 4, 2017

Jerod Evans rushing everything, Leidner lobbing throws, Kizer misfiring, Trevor Knight brutal…Bad session there
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) March 4, 2017

Kizer's arm is outstanding. His accuracy continues to be a huge question mark
— Pete Smith (@_PeteSmith_) March 4, 2017

Kizer threw the ball behind his receiver every time. That will be a pick six in the NFL
— NFL Draft Diamonds (@DraftDiamonds) March 4, 2017

While no NFL team is going to base its draft decisions solely on a quarterback’s combine workout, it can reinforce – good or bad – what it sees on film. And a knock on Kizer was that he could be inconsistent. He seemed to understand that and worked on fixing his issues.

“In these last two months I’ve been able to refine everything I’m supposed to refine, really own who I am as a passer, really buy into a bunker mentality,” Kizer said this week. “Not taking any marketing deals, staying off social media, staying out of the spotlight to make sure I can perfect my craft. I’m really very confident in who I am as a passer and who I am as a quarterback.”

There’s a lot that goes into the draft process, especially at quarterback. And there’s a long way to go too, including Notre Dame’s pro day. One uneven workout won’t wreck Kizer’s draft stock (though, Teddy Bridgewater seemed to get downgraded heavily for a poor pro day workout).

But this is a tight race at quarterback and teams with high picks like the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and New York Jets could definitely use a new starter. Being the first quarterback selected and being the third or fourth quarterback selected could be the difference of a few million dollars. Hopefully for Kizer, his missed throws on Saturday won’t end up deciding where he’s selected.

Greg Cosell’s film breakdown of the draft’s top three quarterbacks:
• DeShone Kizer has physical tools that will excite teams
• Accomplished Deshaun Watson has areas to work on
• Mitch Trubisky faces some challenges with his NFL transition