Patient Browns Find Value in Potential Franchise QB with DeShone Kizer

The Cleveland Browns need a little patience. Yeah. Just a little patience. 

The opposite is true, too. Browns brass has been patient during the first two days of the 2017 NFL draft, and the organization benefited through its first four selections. 

Cleveland bypassed North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson's Deshaun Watson earlier in the draft, only to have Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer fall to the team in the second round. The Browns used the 52nd overall pick to secure the Toledo, Ohio, native. 

After Thursday's first round, executive vice president of player personnel Sashi Brown stated, per the team's official site, "We obviously value the [quarterback] position, but we don't want to force it." 

If a team doesn't have a franchise quarterback, it can't stop looking for one. The Browns have been searching a long time to find a signal-caller capable of leading the franchise since their return to the league in 1999.

Cleveland's QB depth chart prior to the draft featured last year's third-round pick Cody Kessler, recently acquired Brock Osweiler and 2016 fifth-round pick Kevin Hogan (drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs). 

Kessler appeared in nine games during his rookie season, but only one of those was a win and he completed just two of three passes in that contest. He's a game manager at best whom the Browns over-drafted a year ago. 

Osweiler came over this offseason in a trade that was basically the equivalent of an NBA salary dump, but the Browns haven't been able to move him since the trade. He was a mega bust with the Houston Texans last year after signing a four-year, $72 million deal with $37 million guaranteed. He threw 15 touchdowns ands 16 interceptions for Houston before being benched and eventually dealt. 

Hogan threw 26 passes last year, two of which were interceptions and zero were touchdowns. 

And yet the team didn't need to use a first-round pick or trade up to acquire its quarterback. Instead, the organization stood pat in the second round and still landed a top-five QB prospect who presents franchise potential at the game's most important position. 

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

"This was not a force," Brown said after the Kizer selection, per the Canton Repository's Steven Doerschuk. "The pick came to us."

Well-run organizations either allow the draft to come to them or manipulate the event to their liking. The Browns have done both through the first two days. 

Kizer is another outstanding athlete added to a trio of first-round picks that includes defensive end Myles Garrett, safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end David Njoku. A theme developed during all of these selections. The Browns are banking on top athletes with plenty of growth potential. All four have yet to turn 22 years old. No one has seen the best of what they have to offer, and each presents tremendous upside. 

No.	Player	Position	College
1	Myles Garrett	Defensive end	Texas A&M
25	Jabrill Peppers	Safety	Michigan
29	David Njoku	Tight end	Miami
52	DeShone Kizer	Quarterback	Notre Dame
65	Larry Ogunjobi	Defensive tackle	Charlotte

The quarterback can be viewed as the biggest boom-or-bust prospect of the bunch. But that's OK because this year's class was loaded with developmental talent. 

The gap between Trubisky, this year's No. 2 overall pick, and Kizer isn't great. It wasn't long ago that NFL Network's Mike Mayock ranked the Notre Dame product as the draft's top signal-caller. 

"And when I look at that group of players at that position, I think Kizer has the highest ceiling," Mayock said during a February interview on The Doug Gottlieb Show. "He's not ready to play, but I believe he's got size, arm strength, athletic ability, intelligence—he just doesn't have any experience."

Kizer fits the archetype. He's 6'4" and 233 pounds with exceptional arm strength and enough athleticism to be a running threat out of the backfield. The two-year starter is also the toughest quarterback in this year's class. He regularly stared down pressure and delivered the football. 

His issues stemmed from inconsistency regarding his supporting cast and a coaching staff with a quick hook. Kizer entered the 2016 campaign having lost three of his top four receivers, leading rusher and starting left tackle to the professional ranks. Needless to say, the quarterback struggled. 

As a junior, Kizer looked like a future No. 1 overall pick. He completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,880 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The quarterback also added 525 rushing yards and 10 more scores. 

Everything fell apart in 2016. Kizer's completion percentage dropped more than four points, his yards per attempt dipped and his rushing production decreased. 

Notre Dame's coaching staff asked him to take on too much without providing the proper support. In trying to take on more responsibilities, Kizer didn't concentrate on his mechanics, which created inconsistencies in his accuracy and touch. 

CFB Film Room provided the quarterback's passing chart from this past season: 

Describing Kizer's performance as erratic may be too kind. 

"He transitions his weight. He drives the football. He's not a guy that will just blow you away with his accuracy, put it that way," an anonymous AFC scout told USA Today's Tom Pelissero. "There's some games where he's just completely his arm and there's no feet. I think he is (smart). He just hasn't played enough."

The Browns can finally solve what seems to be the NFL's version of a Rubik's Cube by providing Kizer time to develop and not rushing him onto the field. Brown expects head coach Hue Jackson to get the most out of the young signal-caller, per the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich: 

Kizer's raw tools and physical skill set are obvious. How he handles being a professional athlete isn't. 

"He's got the size, the arm talent and he’s very bright," an AFC head coach told MMQB's Albert Breer. "But there's a disconnect there. There are diva qualities there, and he seems to (overthink everything), like he’s fighting who he is."

Despite these concerns, the potential franchise signal-caller passed the predraft process with flying colors.

According to San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, Kizer "blew the doors" off his combine interview, per NFL.com's Chase Goodbread. The former Notre Dame standout said he needed to grow after disparaging comments from his former head coach, Brian Kelly. Jackson remarked the young man took instruction and showed obvious improvement during his private workout with Cleveland, per Ulrich. 

Granted, Kizer didn't help himself when he compared his intellect and preparation to Tom Brady's in Cam Newton's body during an interview with Pelissero. Every quarterback should strive to be the greatest, but his comment showed some immaturity and lacked tact. 

What the decision ultimately comes down to is value. 

The Chicago Bears surrendered first-, third- and fourth-round selections in this year's draft and a 2018 third-round pick to move up one spot and select Trubisky. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans traded up to acquire Patrick Mahomes and Watson, respectively. 

The Browns took the opposite approach. Two of those teams had to wait to make a second pick, while the Browns acquired a pair of first-round picks after the Garrett selection and still had Kizer available to them in the second round. 

Are Trubisky, Mahomes and Watson such superior prospects compared to Kizer that they're worth giving up Garrett, Peppers and/or Njoku? No. Absolutely not. Kizer may be further behind on the learning curve, but he has the tools to be a successful starting quarterback if afforded the proper time to develop. 

The Browns need take it slow, and it'll work itself out fine. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @brentsobleski.