The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Kiper: Watson to Browns
Sorry Mitchell, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr is not predicting a return to Cleveland.
Kiper has the Browns taking defensive end Myles Garrett with the first pick in his mock draft revealed on April 5, just as he did last month in his mock draft 3.0.
This time, he has the Jets drafting Trubisky with the sixth pick and the Browns taking Deshaun Watson 12th.
Todd McShay, Kiper’s cohort at ESPN, has the Browns taking Garrett first, tight end O.J. Howard of Alabama 12th and Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer with the first pick of the second round, pick 33 overall. Kiper has the Browns taking Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon 33rd.
“Kizer is not a finished product, but this would be a long-term play for the Browns and Coach Hue Jackson,” McShay wrote. “Kizer has an enticing physical skill set, including elite arm strength. His mechanics still need some work, though.”
Kiper had the Jets taking Howard in his mock draft issued March 22.
The Jets and Browns each need a quarterback, and both teams have devoted hours and hours studying all the top quarterbacks in the three-day 2017 draft, which begins April 27.
The Jets traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C., on March 30 to put Trubisky through a private workout. Trubisky was in Berea the next day.
The Browns were allowed to put him through their own private workout at their team facility because Trubisky graduated from a high school (Mentor) in Northeast Ohio.
The Browns and Jets have also visited Watson of Clemson, Patrick Mahomes of Texas A&M and Kizer for private workouts.
“Having a young gun like Trubisky, I don’t think you worry about (Christian) Hackenberg or (Bryce) Petty,” Kiper said April 5 on a conference call, referring to two young Jets quarterbacks. “You keep trying to get the right guy. (Josh) McCown would allow him time to develop. There are other options than quarterback, but if Trubisky is there for the Jets it would make sense.”
Kiper and McShay disagree on their quarterback rankings. McShay has Watson to the Chargers with the ninth pick as the first quarterback off the board with Trubisky going to Arizona with the 13th pick.
Kiper’s choice as the quarterback most ready to play is Nathan Peterman of Pitt.
He isn’t alone in that assessment.
Greg Gabriel of Pro Football Weekly reached the same conclusion. Pro Football Weekly ranks Peterman fifth behind Trubisky, Watson, Kizer and Patrick Mahomes of Texas Tech.
“All these quarterbacks have issues,” Kiper said. “Trubisky is a one-year starter. He needs some time. Watson has accuracy issues. He got better later in the year, but the accuracy issues are still there, so he has to work on that.
“Mahomes comes out of a system that does not translate well to the NFL. Kizer came out of an offense where he didn’t seem like he was the right fit. He kind of had some struggles, but a lot of the struggles were the supporting cast, which was not up to the level it was the previous year.
“Nathan Peterman has the best chance to come in and play from a mental standpoint and playing a pro offense like (Carson) Wentz did, which really helped him.”
Wentz was taken second by Philadelphia in 2016 with the pick that belonged to the Browns until the Eagles traded them a boatload of picks so they could draft Wentz.
Wentz was 7-9 as a rookie. He finished 25th in the quarterback rankings. He clearly outplayed Jared Goff (0-7 as a starter), whom the Rams took with the first pick last year, but drafting quarterbacks isn’t like buying annual flowers for the garden.
The conundrum for Browns executive vice president Sashi Brown and Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan is figuring out which quarterback has the highest ceiling.
Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout.com unapologetically says that player will be Kizer. So does Mike Mayock of NFL Network.
“From a physical standpoint, Kizer checks all the boxes with his developed physique, impressive arm talent, natural athleticism, also owning the desired football character for the NFL level,” Brugler wrote. “However, he is still young in his development with most of his mistakes due to late decisions and careless throws outside of structure – will greatly benefit by quickening his process, but can he? While his film shows inconsistency in his decision-making and execution, Kizer also shows impressive throws and movements amidst the chaos that most college prospects struggle with – highest ceiling of any quarterback in this draft class.”
The editors of Pro Football Focus are skeptical of Kizer.
“Kizer’s traits are as good as any quarterback in the 2017 class, but the inconsistencies with accuracy and decision-making leave a lot of question marks of how he will translate to the next level,” the PFF scouting report says. “The natural instincts for the position and pure arm talent are there, with a coach likely to see those uncoachable traits and try to make him into the player he has the potential to be.”
Kiper has Mahomes going to the Cardinals at 13 and learning behind Carson Palmer. He has Kizer going 27th to the Chiefs and learning behind Alex Smith.
McShay has the Saints taking Mahomes 32nd and learning behind Drew Brees.