NFL Draft 2017: The Cleveland Browns Pick Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer in the Second Round

DeShone Kizer is coming home.

The Toledo, Ohio product and former Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback was the 52nd overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, the league’s worst franchise.

Kizer joins a crowded, but underwhelming, depth chart in Cleveland:

• Cody Kessler played in nine games last year after the Browns drafted him in the third round. The former USC Trojans standout threw for 1,380 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.
• Kevin Hogan, the former Stanford Cardinal signal caller, played in four games after being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs and acquired by the Cleveland Browns for their practice squad. He threw just 26 passes, had zero touchdowns and two interceptions.
• Brock Osweiler, who signed a huge contract with the Houston Texans and then had an underwhelming season. He started 14 games for the Texans and threw for 2,957 yards, but completed less than 60 percent of his passes and had a 15 TD to 16 INT ratio. The Texans shipped Osweiler, their sixth-round pick and their second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft in exchange for a fourth-round compensatory pick. The deal was seen as an innovative cash-for-picks exchange.

Before picking Kizer, the Browns selected the Texas A&M Aggies’ DE Myles Garrett (#1), Michigan Wolverines’ S Jabril Peppers (#25) and Miami-Fla Hurricanes’ TE David Njoku (#29) — all in the first round. The Browns grabbed UNC-Charlotte’s DT Larry Ogunjobi after Kizer with the first pick in the third round.

Kizer was the fourth quarterback taken in the 2017 NFL Draft, after Mitch Trubisky (No. 2 to the Chicago Bears), Patrick Mahomes (No. 10 to the Kansas City Chiefs) and Deshaun Watson (No. 12 to the Houston Texans).

A POTENTIAL DOWNSIDE

Brady Quinn didn’t mince words when asked about one of fellow Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer’s potential NFL destinations.

“If DeShone goes to Cleveland next year, he’ll get a first-hand experience of very poor ownership and, unfortunately, a poor long-term and short-term vision of how to build success,” said Quinn, who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2007.

And for what this is worth, if anything:

The Browns will sign Kizer to a four-year deal worth $4.9 million, including a $1.7 million signing bonus, according to OverTheCap.com.