DeShone Kizer Declares for 2017 NFL Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

The 2017 NFL draft has added depth at quarterback with Notre Dame junior DeShone Kizer announcing to Bleacher Report on Monday he will forgo his senior season to turn pro.

Kizer emerged as Notre Dame's starter in 2016 after opening the year sharing duties with Malik Zaire. He got off to a hot start with six total touchdowns in a 50-47 loss against Texas in the first game of the season. 

That would be the high-water mark for Kizer, as he battled some inconsistency with his accuracy, leading to a pedestrian completion percentage of 58.7. He finished the regular season with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions. 

Despite those issues, Kizer continued to earn high marks from NFL scouts and draft prognosticators.  

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated had the San Francisco 49ers drafting Kizer with the No. 2 pick in a mock projection released on Nov. 22:

"

This is the challenge with Kizer and this entire crop of potential 2017 QBs: There is little to no consistency. Kizer, Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky and sudden draft-analyst favorite Mason Rudolph all could be the first quarterback off the board, but we’re still far from any clear-cut answers. Kizer’s build, arm and ability to escape the pocket give him an excellent starting base.

"

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller provided an updated two-round mock draft last Friday that had Kizer going to the Cleveland Browns at No. 9 overall.

One NFC personnel executive told Albert Breer of The MMQB Kizer has the physical gifts to be an impact player at the pro level. 

"Pocket passer with a very good arm, has the athletic ability to get out and make plays with his feet," the NFC executive said. "All the tools are there. He’s struggled a little bit over the last month but was excellent on film last year and the beginning of this year."

This is not a good year for teams in need of a quarterback, especially in the first round. No one has stood out from the pack, leading to a lot of uncertainty for franchises such as the 49ers, Browns, Chicago Bears and New York Jets. 

Kizer's decision to turn pro is as much about the lackluster crop of quarterbacks to choose from as it is his readiness to make an impact at the next level. He can vault into the top-10 mix with strong predraft workouts, proving some of his issues in 2016 were simply normal struggles any inexperienced player goes through. 

NFL teams will always take a chance early on quarterbacks for fear of missing out on the next player who can be the face of a franchise for a decade. Kizer has all of the tangible skills to do that, but he will need more development time than a typical junior quarterback.