Heading into Cleveland Browns training camp, all eyes will be on rookie DeShone Kizer, who has already impressed during offseason workouts.
Reportedly having “narrowed the gap” in the quarterback competition between himself, Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler, Kizer has a chance to force Hue Jackson’s hand if his strong play continues throughout camp and preseason games.
To that point, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com had an interesting response to a fan about how Kizer compares to Kessler, who threw harder at the combine.
“It’s true that Kizer’s ball speed at the NFL Combine was measured at 52 compared to 55 for Cody Kessler. But Kizer has a better deep ball and his accuracy and touch have improved under Jackson and quarterbacks coach David Lee. All of the quarterbacks have improved, but Kizer has made the biggest leap.”
Since his arrival in Cleveland after being selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kizer has done nothing but impress. Head coach Hue Jackson likened him to Ben Roethlisberger, and it’s been reported Kizer has a legitimate chance to be the starter in Week 1.
If he’s ready to handle the pressure NFL defenses will be throwing at him, then Kizer should start. The Browns have some impressive young talent but are still a couple years away from truly contending, and that’s being conservative. With that in mind, especially considering Cleveland has a strong offensive line, giving a young quarterback consistent reps in live games would be invaluable in terms of his overall development.