DeShone Kizer 'Should Still Be in College,' Says Brian Kelly

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly does not believe former quarterback DeShone Kizer is ready for the NFL.

"[Kizer] should still be in college," he told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "He needs more time to grow on and off the field. He isn't complete yet."

He did praise his physical gifts, however.

Kelly noted Kizer "has a strong arm and is physically gifted. I think he has all the tools but needs time."

Kizer declared for the NFL draft after throwing for 2,925 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a junior while also rushing for 472 yards and another eight scores. Notre Dame went just 4-8, however, which is a major concern for some scouts and front office personnel.

"Kizer scares me to death," an AFC vice president of player personnel told Bucky Brooks of NFL.com. "I see the athleticism and arm talent, but I wonder if he can take hard coaching. Things went downhill in a hurry at Notre Dame. I need to find out why."

It's hard to ignore his upside, but it's just as hard to ignore the concerns that come along with it, as NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock told Peter King of The MMQB while breaking down this year's quarterback class:

"

I think he has the most upside, the highest ceiling. But he is 12-11 as a starter at Notre Dame. He played a lot of bad football with the game on the line in the fourth quarter this year. That is not acceptable. But he is 6'5", 235. He has that kind of prototypical franchise quarterback look, a Philip Rivers type… if he gets everything right.

"

Once considered a first-round talent, Kizer's stock has slipped somewhat this offseason, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller had him No. 37 on his latest big board, while none of the five draft analysts for NFL.com projected Kizer to be a first-round selection.

If Kizer indeed slips to the second day of the draft, it may be in part because NFL teams see him as a project rather than a plug-and-play starter. In that case, the NFL community may agree with Kelly's assessment that Kizer could have used another year of seasoning.