Cleveland Browns: 2017 NFL Draft Quarterback Preview

3 of 3

Sep 29, 2016; Lubbock, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes (5) rushes against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Mahomes/Kizer

Mahomes may be the most intriguing name of the four. His arm has garnered legitimate comparisons to NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre, the pre-eminent gunslinger in the lore of NFL history.

He put up monster numbers last season in the air-raid offense at Texas Tech per sports-reference.com (5,052 yards, 41 TDs, 10 INTs, 65.7% completion).

More from Factory of Sadness

If I were to attempt to summarize him as a prospect, I’d say he’s the Johnny Manziel of this draft minus the off-field issues. He has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this draft by a wide margin, but he also has the lowest floor.

Fit will be critical towards his success or failure in the NFL, which is why I feel he may not be the best fit in Cleveland. While matching a man of his talent with Jackson could produce fireworks, bringing him to Cleveland could also put him in a tough predicament in terms of his development.

Mahomes played in the air-raid offense in college, which does not translate to the NFL. He needs time to learn how to run a pro-style offense and get comfortable and acclimated with the NFL game before he’s thrown to the wolves, which he most certainly would be in Cleveland.

A team like the Chiefs or the New York Giants late in the first round would be perfect fits for him, in terms of his overall development. If the Browns DO end up taking him though, I would be all for it.

The last name on the list is Kizer. His draft stock has been relatively volatile throughout the entire process. It’s hard to pin down whether he’s viewed as a top-15 pick or a late second round pick by most NFL front offices. There doesn’t appear to be much difference of opinion from pundits on his standing as a prospect.

There are aspects of Kizer’s draft profile that stand out. He has prototypical size for the quarterback position (6’4, 233 lbs). He also played (and excelled) in a pro-style offense at Notre Dame, and flashed an impressive array of translatable NFL skills last season.

Now the bad news: Notre Dame went 4-8 last season (though that wasn’t all on Kizer). He also battled bouts of inconsistency last season, and he hasn’t really stood out at any point in the draft process.

For all we know, we’ll look back and feel dumb that we overlooked Kizer throughout the process, ala Oakland Raiders’ Derek Carr. We could also look back on him and say, “Oh, we knew about these flaws. So why did we pick him again?”

Would he be worth the risk in the second round? I think so. Kizer might have the most question marks of any of the top quarterbacks.

Yet, if he’s put in a favorable position to start his career, he could prove to be one of the prospects we look back on in a few years and wonder just how so many teams could pass on him.

Next: Is Trubisky The Right Fit?

In all likelihood, one of these four names will be leading the Browns for the *hopefully* foreseeable future. Let’s hope they choose the right one for once.

Home/Cleveland Browns