National Football League

NFL Draft: Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer is 'NFL Bound'

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer declared his intent to enter the 2017 NFL Draft in a creative way, and becomes arguably the top QB prospect…

This year’s NFL Draft class isn’t expected to blow anyone away with any single quarterback prospect, but there’s a ton of upside in Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, who declared his intentions for the 2017 NFL Draft on Monday.

He is ‘NFL Bound’:

Thank you @NotreDame pic.twitter.com/LDjdlCf9nw

— DeShone Kizer (@DKizer_14) December 12, 2016

B/R Exclusive: Potential top-10 pick @DKizer_14 makes his NFL draft decision #BRxND https://t.co/YiYZp4wGqh pic.twitter.com/tTxuagvEa0

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 12, 2016

The ceiling for Kizer is high, but the work it’s going to take to reach it will take some time. He’s far from a polished product, and while the skills are all there for him to be a great player at the next level, some question whether he is top 10 worthy due to consistency issues in college.

He had 34 total touchdowns this season (26 passing, eight rushing) and only nine interceptions while completing 58.7 percent of his passes. Some feel that Kizer has the best upside of any signal caller in the draft, while others prefer North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky (if he declares…) or Clemson’s DeShaun Watson.

A report from ESPN indicated that the Cleveland Browns have spent plenty of time scouting Kizer this season, and also have an affinity for Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett. Here’s a snippet from that report:

Taking Garrett could upgrade Cleveland’s defense, but it would also likely deny the Browns the chance to take the top-rated quarterback in the draft. Cleveland, however, is still doing its due diligence in scouting quarterbacks. Browns scout Lake Dawson, who once starred at Notre Dame, has spent an inordinate amount of time in South Bend, Indiana, scouting Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer, according to a school source.

You always want to do your due diligence, and the Browns have certainly done theirs. With their draft ammunition, it’s entirely possible this Cleveland team could wind up with both Kizer and Garrett.

We won’t know yet for a few months, but this is a huge leap for Kizer, who is betting big time on himself.