NFL Draft 2017: Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer Will Wait One More Day To Be Drafted

DeShone Kizer wasn’t on camera when three quarterbacks were taken within the NFL Draft’s first 12 picks. But we’d imagine he was smiling.

The former Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback had slipped out of the first round on nearly 70 percent of mock drafts published in the days and hours preceding the three-day event. General managers had now shattered expectations — a fourth quarterback suddenly seemed like a certainty.

The Arizona Cardinals, who have their 37-year-old quarterback signed for just one more year, picked a linebacker with the 13th pick.

The New York Giants, who have been linked to both Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes recently, opted for a tight end with the 23rd pick.

The Cleveland Browns, who have Brock Osweiler — but don’t seem very interested in him — took a safety with the 25th pick acquired from the Houston Texans.

The Buffalo Bills took a cornerback instead of a quarterback after moving from No. 10 to No. 27.

The Browns came back. Surely this was the moment they’d find their quarterback of the future? Nope. They followed the Giants’ lead and took a tight end.

The Pittsburgh Steelers — who had been reportedly calling around gauging teams interest in Kizer — took a linebacker at No. 30.

Kizer mentioned in the hours before the draft that he felt a real kinship with San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch. When the Niners came back into the first round at No. 31, did Lynch reciprocate the love? Sadly, no.

That left the New Orleans Saints. Could they be looking for an apprentice for Drew Brees with the final pick of the first round? Negative.

Teams with second round picks that are may still be in the market for a quarterback include:

• The Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold the third pick.
• The Los Angeles Chargers, with the sixth pick.
• The New York Jets, who hold the seventh pick.
• The New Orleans Saints, who hold the tenth pick.
• The Buffalo Bills, who hold the 12th pick.
• The Arizona Cardinals, who hold the 13th pick.
• The Cleveland Browns, who have the 20th pick.
• The New York Giants, who have the 23rd pick.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have the 30th pick.

The draft resumes at 7 p.m. Friday on both ESPN and the NFL Network or online at WatchESPN and NFL.com/watch.