When Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly's comments about his former quarterback struck a bad chord last week, it was because he said DeShone Kizer "should still be in college." But in a less-noted portion of his remarks, Kelly also said Kizer's growth needs to come "in so many areas. Not just on the field, but off the field."
Now, an AFC head coach has provided a glimpse into what that might mean.
"He's got the size, the arm talent and he's very bright," the coach told MMQB. "But there's a disconnect there. There are diva qualities there, and he seems to get voices in his head, like he's fighting who he is. And once the cycle starts, he can't get himself right."
The NFL draft will be held April 27-29 in Philadelphia.
Kelly was critical of Kizer's play after a 38-35 loss to Duke last year, calling it "below standard," but has had high praise for his former quarterback as well. A few days after his comments of last week were criticized, he walked them back and called Kizer "the best quarterback coming out." Kizer is among a group of quarterbacks drawing heavy interest from NFL clubs, along with Clemson's Deshaun Watson, North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and Cal's Davis Webb.
If Kizer does have any diva tendencies, they certainly didn't avail themselves to San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch at the NFL Scouting Combine. Lynch raved about Kizer's interview with the club in Indianapolis. Kizer's visits to team facilities have included the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. He's also worked out for the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears.
Kizer slid from No. 1 to No. 4 in NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock's most recent ranking of the top 5 QB prospects.
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