Several draft analysts thought the prototypical size and arm strength of Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer would allow him to steal the show this month at the NFL scouting combine.
It simply didn't happen.
Kizer struggled with his footwork and accuracy at the combine while North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson's Deshaun Watson thrived during their throwing sessions and seemingly showed NFL talent evaluators why they should form the top tier of quarterbacks in April's draft with Kizer and Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes in the second wave.
Kizer realized all of this entering Notre Dame's pro day on Thursday, and the Toledo, Ohio, native received favorable reviews once his workout was complete in South Bend, Ind.
"There was a clear question mark on some of the consistency with some throws and some accuracy things, so I wanted to come out and show what I've been working on for the last two months," Kizer said on NFL Network. "Defining my footwork, defining my mechanics and showing that I can be a consistent thrower at the highest level."
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said on the air Kizer "looked good" at the pro day and "a lot better" than he did at the combine.
"We saw the big arm and expected to see that," McShay said. "Physically, he has everything you look for. Comes from central casting in terms of an NFL quarterback, 6-4 and change, 237 pounds, big hands, big arm, mobile. But consistency, especially with his accuracy, has always been the question mark. I think the big thing I was looking for at least today was the footwork under center (because he played almost exclusively in the shotgun at Notre Dame).
"At the combine, he really struggled with that, and I thought today he showed some improvement. I counted five throws that were off (out of more than 60 passes), and they were all in the middle of the field, deep crossers, in-cutting routes. He did a great job I thought on mostly the deep balls, especially the ones down the right and the left rail. So overall a very good day from DeShone Kizer, and we saw kind of what we expected to see in terms of the arm strength and the ability to make very difficult throws look easy."
Browns coach Hue Jackson attended Ohio State's pro day on Thursday instead of going to Notre Dame, but the organization is expected to conduct a private workout with Kizer because it prefers that setting to scripted pro days.
The Browns were represented at Kizer's pro day by scout Colton Chapple, a source said. McShay also said Kizer recently had an "individual interview" with the Browns.
The Browns will likely draft Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett first overall on April 27, but they could address their everlasting need for a quarterback at No. 12 overall.
McShay ranks Trubisky and Watson ahead of Kizer, but he said Kizer "has the biggest upside" of the quarterbacks.
"Trubisky had the most consistent tape in terms of just passing and the type of throws you have to make at the next level, and Watson has the resume and the intangibles that are just rare and elite," McShay said. "So it's what makes this a very difficult process and very difficult for teams like San Francisco picking at No. 2, Cleveland at one and 12, Chicago at No. 3, looking for their future franchise quarterback. There's an unknown with each one of these top quarterbacks. But I do think it's Watson and Trubisky, and then Kizer's just a little bit behind, probably later first to early second-round range."
McShay said Kizer should sit for at least a year behind an established NFL starter, work on his mechanics with a quarterbacks coach, learn how to prepare as a professional and mature.
"DeShone Kizer won't be the first QB drafted, maybe not the 2nd, but in 3 years he will be the best QB to come out of this class. Book it!" former Chicago Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel tweeted.
Yet other analysts have criticized Kizer's decision to leave Notre Dame after his redshirt sophomore season. He went 8-3 as a starter in 2015 but 4-8 this past season.
"The ultimate decision just came with just looking myself in the mirror and figuring out who I was and where I was in my development," Kizer said on NFL Network. "Quite frankly, I feel confident in who I am. My ability to understand the game both pre and post-snap, my ability to throw the ball down the field, my size, my awareness and experience that I've had here. My ultimate goal has always been to win a Super Bowl, and as a family, talked to a lot of people who were close to me, we decided that this is the time for me."
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly spoke on NFL Network as if Kizer took a step in the right direction during his pro day.
"I loved his presence today. He took control of the drills," Kelly said. "A lot of people were asking about that, that leadership. Of course, he went in as a young player in '15, '16 was only his second year starting. But I think his makeup is one that he can be that leader because we know about his arm talent. I think that's been well-documented. But he has all of those other features you need as well."
