INDIANAPOLIS — DeShone Kizer is winning the quarterback competition at the NFL’s scouting combine.
Well — nobody has thrown a football yet, but Kizer’s presence was undeniable Friday when he met with reporters.
A day after 49ers GM John Lynch said the Notre Dame quarterback blew the doors off his interview with San Francisco, Kizer doubled-down, hoping to woo the new regime with his Saturday workout.
“I answered the questions that were asked. His response to that was awesome,” Kizer said. “I’m glad that he did enjoy that. I look forward to throwing in front of him Saturday and try and impress him there with the ball in my hands.”
Kizer confronted Notre Dame’s 4-8 record last season head on by pinning the blame squarely on himself. In an interesting spin, Kizer said he’s more prepared than most prospects in this draft to be a franchise quarterback because he’s already endured those struggles that he’ll face as a franchise quarterback resurrecting a football team.
“It allowed me to understand a winning culture,” Kizer said. “When you’re doing nothing but winning your whole life — being at an elite high school, winning championships and going through that 2015 season like I did — you really don’t understand what a winning culture is until you compare the two seasons last year to understand what it take to be a winner.”
Kizer decided to play the comparison game, too. He said his successful 2015 campaign for the Fighting Irish was akin to Dak Prescott’s rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys. When Kizer was surrounded by more talent, the team won. When he wasn’t last year, he didn’t elevate the level of play around him, even though he did throw 26 touchdowns to just 9 interceptions.
“An awesome offensive line, great receivers, a great running back and all (Dak) had to do was execute his job,” Kizer said. “When you have the veterans around you and the experience around you, and you’re only required to make sure to make your throws, make your checks, get your teammates in the right play, it makes game a lot easier.”
Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson were both confident in their interviews, too. Trubisky harped on the large responsibility North Carolina placed on his shoulders about picking running or pass plays at the line of scrimmage. Watson argued he’s been a winner at every level he’s been at. Pat Mahomes was also impressive. Davis Webb said he has the best arm in the draft. Nobody bombed their interview.
Take it for what it’s worth, but Kizer was the most polished communicator. That shouldn’t make or break his stock, but NFL decision makers will take this into consideration as part of the pie. Quarterback is a position where rallying a locker room and having people buy into your words matters nearly as much as completing passes. Kizer, who has also gone in “bunker-mode” by eliminating social media from his life during the draft process, seems to have checked this box off.
The two concerns I have about Kizer that won’t go away even if the 49ers draft him: He looked thin in person despite measuring at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, and his well-documented accuracy issues during the 2016 season (58.7 percent). Kizer himself thinks he’s a developmental project who could have to sit and watch during his rookie season. NFL.com lists his comparison as Steve McNair.
“I’m going to have to continue to push forward in developing my game. I don’t think I’m anywhere near where I need to be a starter next year,” Kizer said. “So I’m probably going to stay in this bunker mentality as long as it possibly takes for me to get back to the level of play that’s going to get me to winning again.”