DeShone Kizer

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DeShone Kizer
refer to caption
Kizer with the Titans in 2021
No. 7, 9
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1996-01-03) January 3, 1996 (age 28)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Central Catholic (Toledo)
College:Notre Dame (2014–2016)
NFL draft:2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 52
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT:11–24
Passing yards:3,081
Completion percentage:53.1
Passer rating:58.9
Rushing yards:458
Rushing touchdowns:5
Player stats at NFL.com

DeShone Allen Kizer (/ˈkaɪzər/; born January 3, 1996) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. Kizer served as the Browns' starter during his rookie season, but his tenure lasted only one year after he went winless and led the league in interceptions. Traded to the Green Bay Packers, he spent one season as a backup in 2018 and also held backup roles with the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans. Having never started a game after his first season with the Browns, Kizer lost all 15 of his starts during his time in the NFL.

Early years[edit]

Kizer attended Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio.[1] Kizer was named the Associated Press Ohio Division III co-offensive player of the year as a senior in 2013.[2] A three-year starter, Kizer helped lead the Fighting Irish high school football team to a combined 34–6 overall record in 2011–13 (8–2 in playoff games), including a 14–1 record and Ohio Division II state title in 2012.[3] In his career, Kizer's totals included 5,684 passing yards and 56 touchdowns to go with 1,211 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.[4]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the ninth best dual-threat quarterback prospect of his class.[5] On June 11, 2013, Kizer announced his commitment to play college football at the University of Notre Dame.[6]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
DeShone Kizer
Dual-Threat QB 		Toledo, OH Central Catholic HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 233 lb (106 kg) Jun 11, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 17 (QB), 2 (regional), 1 (OH), 263 (national)   Rivals: 9 (QB)  ESPN: 16 (QB), 12 (OH)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Notre Dame Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "Notre Dame College Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 27, 2015.

College career[edit]

Kizer redshirted his first year at Notre Dame in 2014 behind quarterbacks Everett Golson and Malik Zaire.[7]

Kizer started 2015 as a backup to Zaire. On September 5, in the season opener, he made his collegiate debut against Texas in relief of Zaire in the 38–3 victory.[8] During the second game of the season against Virginia, Kizer replaced an injured Zaire and helped lead Notre Dame to a victory. With 12 seconds left, Kizer completed a 39-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Will Fuller to give Notre Dame the lead.[9] After it was announced that Zaire would miss the rest of the season, Kizer was named the starter. On October 3, in a 24–22 loss to Clemson, he passed for a season-high 321 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while having 15 carries for 60 yards and a rushing touchdown.[10] Against Pitt, Kizer accounted for all six touchdowns (five passing and one rushing) helping Notre Dame to a 42–30 victory.[11] On Halloween, in a 24–20 win over Temple, he recorded 299 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, and had a stellar night on the ground with 143 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[12] Kizer and the Fighting Irish finished the 2015 regular season with a 10–2 record.[13] On New Year's Day, Kizer and the Fighting Irish closed out their 2015 season with a 44–28 loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. In the loss, he had 284 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception while adding 21 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.[14] Overall in 2015, Kizer finished his redshirt first year with 2,880 passing yards, 525 rushing yards, and 31 total touchdowns in 13 games.[15]

Kizer started off the 2016 season with 215 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 77 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown in a double overtime 50–47 loss to Texas at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.[16] After a victory over Nevada, he had 344 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 14 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns in a 36–28 loss to Michigan State.[17][18] After a loss to Duke, he had a career day through the air with 471 yards and three touchdowns in a 50–33 win over Syracuse.[19] He put together some solid performances over the rest of the season, but the team faltered and ended up with a 4–8 record.[20] Kizer played 12 games with 2,925 passing yards, 472 rushing yards, and 34 total touchdowns.[21] After the 2016 season, Kizer decided to forgo the remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL draft.[22]

College statistics[edit]

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Season Games Passing Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg Lng TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2014 0 0 Redshirt
2015 13 11 210 334 62.9 2,880 8.6 81 21 10 150.1 135 525 3.9 79 10 5 2
2016 12 12 212 361 58.7 2,925 8.1 79 26 9 145.6 129 472 3.7 70 8 0 0
Total 25 23 422 695 60.7 5,805 8.4 81 47 19 147.7 264 997 3.8 79 18 5 2

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft[edit]

Kizer received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all of the combine drills except for the bench press. He also performed positional drills, but had a disappointing performance. He also participated at Notre Dame's Pro Day and only ran positional drills in front of team scouts and representatives, including San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Kizer completed 50/60 pass attempts and showed significantly better accuracy and footwork at his pro day.[23] NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be a first or second round pick.[24] He was ranked the second best quarterback in the draft by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, the third best quarterback by NFLDraftScout.com and Sports Illustrated, and was ranked the fourth best quarterback by NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock.[25][26][27][28]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Wonderlic
6 ft 4+1⁄4 in
(1.94 m) 		233 lb
(106 kg) 		33+1⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		 4.83 s 1.72 s 2.84 s 4.53 s 7.40 s 30+1⁄2 in
(0.77 m)		 8 ft 11 in
(2.72 m)		 28[29]
All values from NFL Combine[24][23]

Cleveland Browns[edit]

Kizer during training camp

The Cleveland Browns selected Kizer in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[30] He was the fourth quarterback selected and first taken in the second round.[31] On June 14, 2017, the Browns signed Kizer to a four-year, $4.94 million contract that includes $2.42 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.73 million.[32][33] On August 27, 2017, following the team's third preseason game, the Browns named Kizer as the starting quarterback to begin the 2017 regular season, beating out veteran trade acquisition Brock Osweiler and second-year quarterbacks Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan.[34]

Kizer in 2017

Making his NFL debut on September 10, 2017, Kizer finished with 222 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception to go along with 17 rushing yards and a one-yard touchdown, but the Browns lost by a score 21–18 at home to the Steelers.[35] He orchestrated a 12-play drive that ended when he scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.[35] Kizer's first career passing touchdown was a three-yard pass to wide receiver Corey Coleman in the fourth quarter.[36][37] Kizer started the next four games for the Browns, which were all losses. During a Week 5 17–14 loss to the New York Jets, Kizer was benched in favor of Kevin Hogan to begin the third quarter after throwing for 87 yards and an interception in the first half.[38] Hogan was later named the starter for the team's Week 6 game against the Houston Texans.[39] After Hogan's struggles in Week 6, Kizer was renamed the starter for the Week 7.[40]

During a Week 7 12–9 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Kizer threw for 114 yards and two interceptions before being benched in favor of Cody Kessler in the third quarter.[41] Following the game, reports surfaced Kizer was out late the Friday before the Titans game, which caused some controversy.[42] During a Week 14 27–21 overtime loss the Green Bay Packers, Kizer threw for 214 yards and a season-high three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions, including one in overtime that gave the Packers excellent field position.[43] In the regular-season finale against the Steelers, Kizer finished with a season-high 314 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception as the Browns lost on the road by a score of 24–28.[44] The Browns finished the year with an 0–16 record, only the second team in NFL history to have that record.[45][46]

In 15 starts of his rookie season, Kizer completed 53.6 percent of his passes for 2,894 yards, 11 touchdowns, and a league-leading 22 interceptions to go along with 77 carries for 419 yards and five touchdowns.[47] [48]

Green Bay Packers[edit]

On March 14, 2018, Kizer was traded to the Packers in exchange for Damarious Randall and a swap of both fourth and fifth-round draft picks.[49]

On September 9, 2018, in Week 1, Kizer played in place of an injured Aaron Rodgers in the first and second quarters against the Chicago Bears. He threw for 55 yards and an interception, which was returned for a touchdown. Rodgers returned in the third quarter and led the Packers to a 24–23 victory.[50] In the regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions, Kizer played in relief of Rodgers, who had suffered a concussion, and threw for 132 yards and an interception as the Packers were shut-out by a score of 31–0.[51][52]

Kizer was released on August 31, 2019, as part of the final roster cuts.[53]

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders[edit]

On September 1, 2019, Kizer was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Raiders.[54] On May 5, 2020, Kizer was waived by the relocated Las Vegas Raiders.[55] He was re-signed to the Raiders practice squad on September 7, 2020,[56] and was released on September 30.[57]

Tennessee Titans[edit]

On November 24, 2020, Kizer was signed to the Titans practice squad.[58] He was signed to a futures contract on January 11, 2021.[59]

Kizer entered the 2021 offseason as the third string quarterback competing with backup Logan Woodside for the No. 2 spot behind starter Ryan Tannehill.[60] Kizer was released on August 5, 2021, after the Titans signed quarterback Matt Barkley.[61] He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 26, 2021, but was released three days later.[62]

NFL career statistics[edit]

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Passing Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate Att Yds Avg TD Fum Lost
2017 CLE 15 15 255 476 53.6 2,894 6.1 11 22 60.5 77 419 5.4 5 9 6
2018 GB 3 0 20 42 47.6 187 4.5 0 2 40.5 5 39 7.8 0 1 1
2019 OAK 0 0 DNP
2020 LV 0 0
TEN 0 0
Career 18 15 275 518 53.1 3,081 5.9 11 24 58.9 82 458 5.6 5 10 7

Personal life[edit]

Kizer's father, Derek, played basketball at Bowling Green from 1987 to 1991.[63][64]

Kizer is the founder of One of None, an online marketplace that uses non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to authenticate its products. He is also a member of ON_Discourse, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that discusses technology and business.[65]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cabot, Mary Kay (September 9, 2017). "The raising of DeShone Kizer: From a kid who didn't fit in, to almost quitting at Notre Dame, to Browns starter". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Kizer tops area AP Division III All-Ohio football team". Toledo Blade. December 4, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  3. ^ Popovich, Mike (December 1, 2012). "Toledo Central Catholic holds off defending champs in Division II to win state title". FridayNightOhio.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  4. ^ Junga, Steve (November 28, 2013). "Kizer: most talented H.S. quarterback Toledo has produced". Toledo Blade. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "DeShone Kizer, 2014 Dual Threat Quarterback". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  6. ^ Junga, Steve (June 11, 2013). "Central Catholic quarterback DeShone Kizer commits to Notre Dame". Toledo Blade. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Wieneke, Bob (October 24, 2014). "Notre Dame freshman DeShone Kizer learning as a backup quarterback". Notre Dame Insider. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  8. ^ "Texas at Notre Dame Box Score, September 5, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  9. ^ Hale, David M. (September 12, 2015). "Backup QB leads Notre Dame to dramatic win over Virginia". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "Notre Dame at Clemson Box Score, October 3, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  11. ^ "Notre Dame at Pitt Box Score, November 7, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "Notre Dame at Temple Box Score, October 31, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  13. ^ "2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  14. ^ "Fiesta Bowl – Notre Dame vs Ohio State Box Score, January 1, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  15. ^ "DeShone Kizer 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
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  17. ^ "Nevada at Notre Dame Box Score, September 10, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
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  20. ^ "2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  21. ^ "DeShone Kizer 2016 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  22. ^ Fortuna, Matt (December 12, 2016). "Notre Dame QB Kizer declaring for NFL draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  23. ^ a b "*DeShone Kizer, DS No. 3 QB, Notre Same". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  24. ^ a b "NFL Draft Profile: DeShone Kizer". NFL.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  25. ^ Burke, Chris (April 25, 2017). "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top prospects by position". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  26. ^ Legwold, Jeff (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the 2017 Draft's Top 100 Prospects". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  27. ^ Brooks, Bucky (April 25, 2017). "Bucky Brooks' top 5 2017 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". National Football League. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  28. ^ Mayock, Mike (April 12, 2017). "Mike Mayock's top 5 2017 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". National Football League. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  29. ^ McGinn, Bob (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the NFL draft prospects: Quarterbacks". PackersNews.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  30. ^ Wesseling, Chris (April 28, 2017). "Cleveland Browns select quarterback DeShone Kizer". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  31. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  32. ^ "Spotrac.com: DeShone Kizer contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  33. ^ Cabot, Mary Kay (June 14, 2017). "DeShone Kizer signs his 4-year rookie contract with the Browns worth about $4.9 million". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  34. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (August 27, 2017). "DeShone Kizer named Browns starting quarterback". National Football League.
  35. ^ a b Phillips, Gary (September 11, 2017). "Hue Jackson impressed with DeShone Kizer debut". Fanrag Sports Network. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  36. ^ McManamon, Pat (September 10, 2017). "DeShone Kizer provides hope, but not a win for Browns in opener". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  37. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  38. ^ "New York Jets at Cleveland Browns – October 8th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  39. ^ McManamon, Pat (October 11, 2017). "Kevin Hogan to replace DeShone Kizer as starting QB for Browns". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  40. ^ Gribble, Andrew (October 18, 2017). "Browns QB DeShone Kizer back in starting role". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  41. ^ McManamon, Pat (October 22, 2017). "DeShone Kizer benched again, questioned about late-night video". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  42. ^ McManamon, Pat (October 23, 2017). "Hue Jackson's handling of DeShone Kizer defies logic". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
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  45. ^ "Browns go 0–16, joining 2008 Lions in historic NFL low". USA Today. December 31, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
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  47. ^ "2017 NFL Passing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  48. ^ "DeShone Kizer 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  49. ^ Gribble, Andrew (March 14, 2018). "Browns land versatile DB Damarious Randall, trade QB DeShone Kizer to Green Bay". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  50. ^ Florjancic, Matthew (September 10, 2018). "Former Cleveland Browns QB DeShone Kizer threw pick-six, lost fumble in Green Bay Packers debut". WKYC. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  51. ^ Spofford, Mike (December 30, 2018). "Packers end season with 31–0 loss". packers.com. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  52. ^ Wing, Ryan (December 30, 2018). "Kizer struggles in relief of Rodgers in Packers loss to Lions". WLUK. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  53. ^ "Packers announce roster moves". Packers.com. August 31, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  54. ^ "Raiders claim quarterback DeShone Kizer". Raiders.com. September 1, 2019. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  55. ^ "Raiders announce undrafted free agent signings". Raiders.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  56. ^ "Raiders re-sign Wilber and Young; Place Mariota and Muse on IR". Raiders.com. September 7, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  57. ^ Williams, Charean (September 30, 2020). "Raiders cut DeShone Kizer as Marcus Mariota returns to practice". NBCSports.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  58. ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 24, 2020). "Titans Place LB Jayon Brown and LT Ty Sambrailo on Injured Reserve While Making Several Other Roster Moves". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  59. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 11, 2021). "Titans Sign 14 Players to Futures Contracts for 2021". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  60. ^ Wyatt, Jim (July 12, 2021). "QB DeShone Kizer's Plan: Earn Back-Up Spot With the Titans, and Make Nashville Home". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  61. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 5, 2021). "Titans Add QB Matt Barkley, Release QB DeShone Kizer, in a Flurry of Roster Moves". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  62. ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 26, 2021). "Titans Sign QB DeShone Kizer to Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  63. ^ Heisler, John (November 27, 2015). "North of Confident, South of Cocky: DeShone Kizer's rise from Toledo, Ohio, to one of the most visible and scrutinized positions in all of college football". UND.com. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  64. ^ "Derek Kizer College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  65. ^ Morley, Olivia (November 4, 2022). "Code and Theory's Dan Gardner Reveals a New Media Company". AdWeek. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.

External links[edit]

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