New Orleans Saints Draft: Is DeShone Kizer “The One”
By Dean Mullen
The Saints may go quarterback in round one. If the Black and Gold decide to draft one, then DeShone Kizer is by far the best choice.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and 235 lbs, DeShone Kizer doesn’t resemble Drew Brees. Kizer has all the abilities that coaches want. He has the arm to deliver any throw. He’s smart and would make a great understudy to Drew Brees. Kizer also can run if needed. He has almost 1,000 yards rushing in the two years at Notre Dame.
Additionally, he ran for over 18 TD’s in his career. However, there have been some knocks on Kizer. In 2016, he did struggle with consistency, completing only about 59% of his passes compared to 63% the year before. More importantly, his stats do reflect a fairly consistent pattern though. Kizer threw for almost 3,000 yards in both years. In 2015, Kizer had 21 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Also, in 2016 Kizer threw for 26 TD’s against only nine picks.
Furthermore, Notre Dame isn’t exactly an easy place to be “THE GUY.” The pressure to perform and the media attention is unlike any other university. He sat down with ESPN analyst Jon Gruden in a short clip here to break down a little bit of everything. Hearing him break down plays in the short clip gives you the idea that this guy can be special and has a high football IQ.
Granted, his coach even said that Kizer could’ve used an extra year at Notre Dame to improve and grow. But ultimately, it was Kizer’s decision to enter into the 2017 NFL Draft. Surely, there are questions of what happened in the 4-8 year in 2016, compared to the 10-3 record in 2015. Records don’t always reflect the whole picture.
In any case, Kizer’s body of work as a whole looks very impressive. He can sit and learn behind one of the great quarterbacks in the game. Kizer wants to work, and has the ability to be patient to sit for a year or two. There is no debate whether DeShone Kizer has the biggest ceiling. Kizer just may be “THE ONE” in a one year or two.