Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
Notre Dame Football
Kizer Good, Not Great, at Notre Dame Pro Day
March 23, 2017
6,580
Several NFL scouts were attendance at Notre Dame's Pro Day on Thursday with most of the league represented. Only one general manager and one offensive coordinator were there, though. And they clearly came to watch one guy.
DeShone Kizer was the main attraction and while he stood on his testing numbers from the NFL combine, he threw over 60 passes to a group of receivers that included former Notre Dame players Jonas Gray, Chase Hounshell, Amir Carlisle, Corey Robinson, and Tarean Folston. It's unfortunate that there were no other receivers from the Irish that are entering the Draft because Folston was the only one who caught a pass from him in 2016.
You might read about Kizer only completing passes 50 or so passes, which is considered bad for a day throwing versus air, but that would be extremely misleading to say that represented how he looked throwing the ball. In addition to not being able to work with receivers he is more comfortable throwing too, there were several drops with Hounshell and Folston struggling the most to hang on to the football.
Kizer missed low on a crosser, overthrew Carlisle on a drag, sailed a deep ball to Robinson, and missed one or two other throws that might have been caught by different receivers, but for the most part, Kizer performed well. His arm strength was on full display on some out routes he lasered to the sideline and his footwork and mechanics were much cleaner than they were at the combine. There may have been some throws where the ball placement wasn't perfect, but he definitely made some throws that had scouts scribbling down furiously after.
Did he put on a show? No, but that might have been impossible given the circumstances with the receivers. I'm sure he definitely would have preferred to not end the day on a deep ball that fluttered a bit out of his hand.
If there are those who liked Kizer going in, they probably left their still liking him quite a bit. If they didn't like him before, then they see some of the misses backing up their original thoughts.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was there in person to watch him as was Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Haley spent a good chunk of the time Kizer was throwing chatting with Brian Kelly and with Ben Roethlisberger sounding like he isn't going to be around too much longer, it would not be a surprise to me if Haley is looking closely at Kizer as a potential heir apparent to Big Ben.
Then again, he spent time watching film with another NFL team after his workout so the possibilities are endless.
All in all, it was no surprise today seeing what Kizer did. He looked phenomenal on some throws and missed some others that he probably shouldn't have. He is who he is and is going to likely need some time to get ready for the NFL game as Kelly mentioned in his press conference yesterday. Perhaps sitting behind someone like Big Ben for a year might be the best thing for him. We'll see where the next few weeks take him when it comes to his workouts.
Here are some notes on the others who competed today:
- Might as well start with someone who did not compete. Isaac Rochell did not test or do any drills. Apparently he has a hamstring issue. Fortunately for him he went to the Senior Bowl and the combine so teams have seen him in person more than enough times during the process.
- That meant Jarron Jones was the only defensive lineman who worked out today and he did not have a great day at the office. A scout told ISD that he recorded a broad jump of 8'6", a short shuttle of 4.87, and 3 cone of 8.01. Those aren't outstanding by any means, but the size and wing span are more important for him than those numbers. He definitely has plenty of size and ridiculous wingspan.
Where he hurt himself is during the drill portion. He flashed some surprising bend and a violent club rip, but he was winded after the first drill. By the third drill he had his hands on his hips and looked tired. I don't think it impressed the Detroit Lions scout who was working him out that much and I know it didn't impress Lynch who went from watching to moving on to talk to someone else when he saw Jones wasn't in great shape.
He still has loads of potential and that might be enough to get him drafted. He has some work to do with his lower body development and some weight to lose in his mid section, though. My guess is that his stock likely dropped after today.
- One guy who I think did really well was James Onwualu. Not surprisingly, he was in great shape. He looked impressive physically and put up some solid numbers in the testing portion, which is important considering he did not get invited to the combine. He put up 24 reps on the bench. That would have been tied for third highest reps of 225 for those who competed there.
He ran a 4.73 and 4.80, which isn't great, but his other numbers were solid including a 36 inch vertical as reported to ISD by a scout. Most importantly, I though he looked outstanding in the drill work. He was very fluid in his transitions and caught the ball well in coverage.
He was as advertised from what we were used to seeing from him. I think he can compete as a space/Dime linebacker at the next level.
After the workout he was speaking with New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Onwualu seems like just the right kind of fit for the Patriots with his strong work ethic, versatility, and ability to play special teams. I think he helped himself get drafted today.
- I think Folston really could have positioned himself to be someone to watch as an undrafted free agent if he didn't struggle catching the ball so much. Unfortunately a bad day is probably going to hurt him quite a bit.
Hopefully they see his overall body of work and he gets a shot at a camp and showing what he can do on the field.
- Cole Luke really needed to run in the 4.5 range, but a scout informed us that he ran 4.64 and 4.66. Too bad he doesn't get another shot at running it because 40 time for a corner is one of the only positions where that test is really valuable. His 3 cone of 6.82 and short shuttle of 4.15 were good, though.
In the drill work he looked smooth early, but lost some technique later when he seemed to get fatigued. He tripped out of one transition.
I think it may be tough for him to get drafted with that 40 time, but others have who ran at that speed before.
- Might as well share a few other random notes from the day. Former Irish players Kyle McCarthy, Kapron Lewis-Moore, and Darius Fleming were in attendance. McCarthy currently works for a sports agency and was there working in that capacity.
- It's pretty obvious why Brian Polian is such a great recruiter. He seemed to know everyone and if he didn't know them, he introduced himself and seemed to get along with them instantly.
- I saw scouts from the 49ers, Bears, Browns, Bengals, Texans, Patriots, Lions, Titans, Saints, Chargers, Ravens, Cardinals, Giants, Jets, Falcons, Colts, Seahawks, Chiefs, Bucs, and Redskins in attendance. I might have missed a few who weren't wearing team affiliated clothing, but 20 teams on a day where there weren't many top NFL prospects participating is not bad at all.
DeShone Kizer was the main attraction and while he stood on his testing numbers from the NFL combine, he threw over 60 passes to a group of receivers that included former Notre Dame players Jonas Gray, Chase Hounshell, Amir Carlisle, Corey Robinson, and Tarean Folston. It's unfortunate that there were no other receivers from the Irish that are entering the Draft because Folston was the only one who caught a pass from him in 2016.
You might read about Kizer only completing passes 50 or so passes, which is considered bad for a day throwing versus air, but that would be extremely misleading to say that represented how he looked throwing the ball. In addition to not being able to work with receivers he is more comfortable throwing too, there were several drops with Hounshell and Folston struggling the most to hang on to the football.
Kizer missed low on a crosser, overthrew Carlisle on a drag, sailed a deep ball to Robinson, and missed one or two other throws that might have been caught by different receivers, but for the most part, Kizer performed well. His arm strength was on full display on some out routes he lasered to the sideline and his footwork and mechanics were much cleaner than they were at the combine. There may have been some throws where the ball placement wasn't perfect, but he definitely made some throws that had scouts scribbling down furiously after.
Did he put on a show? No, but that might have been impossible given the circumstances with the receivers. I'm sure he definitely would have preferred to not end the day on a deep ball that fluttered a bit out of his hand.
If there are those who liked Kizer going in, they probably left their still liking him quite a bit. If they didn't like him before, then they see some of the misses backing up their original thoughts.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch was there in person to watch him as was Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Haley spent a good chunk of the time Kizer was throwing chatting with Brian Kelly and with Ben Roethlisberger sounding like he isn't going to be around too much longer, it would not be a surprise to me if Haley is looking closely at Kizer as a potential heir apparent to Big Ben.
Then again, he spent time watching film with another NFL team after his workout so the possibilities are endless.
All in all, it was no surprise today seeing what Kizer did. He looked phenomenal on some throws and missed some others that he probably shouldn't have. He is who he is and is going to likely need some time to get ready for the NFL game as Kelly mentioned in his press conference yesterday. Perhaps sitting behind someone like Big Ben for a year might be the best thing for him. We'll see where the next few weeks take him when it comes to his workouts.
Here are some notes on the others who competed today:
- Might as well start with someone who did not compete. Isaac Rochell did not test or do any drills. Apparently he has a hamstring issue. Fortunately for him he went to the Senior Bowl and the combine so teams have seen him in person more than enough times during the process.
- That meant Jarron Jones was the only defensive lineman who worked out today and he did not have a great day at the office. A scout told ISD that he recorded a broad jump of 8'6", a short shuttle of 4.87, and 3 cone of 8.01. Those aren't outstanding by any means, but the size and wing span are more important for him than those numbers. He definitely has plenty of size and ridiculous wingspan.
Where he hurt himself is during the drill portion. He flashed some surprising bend and a violent club rip, but he was winded after the first drill. By the third drill he had his hands on his hips and looked tired. I don't think it impressed the Detroit Lions scout who was working him out that much and I know it didn't impress Lynch who went from watching to moving on to talk to someone else when he saw Jones wasn't in great shape.
He still has loads of potential and that might be enough to get him drafted. He has some work to do with his lower body development and some weight to lose in his mid section, though. My guess is that his stock likely dropped after today.
- One guy who I think did really well was James Onwualu. Not surprisingly, he was in great shape. He looked impressive physically and put up some solid numbers in the testing portion, which is important considering he did not get invited to the combine. He put up 24 reps on the bench. That would have been tied for third highest reps of 225 for those who competed there.
He ran a 4.73 and 4.80, which isn't great, but his other numbers were solid including a 36 inch vertical as reported to ISD by a scout. Most importantly, I though he looked outstanding in the drill work. He was very fluid in his transitions and caught the ball well in coverage.
He was as advertised from what we were used to seeing from him. I think he can compete as a space/Dime linebacker at the next level.
After the workout he was speaking with New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Onwualu seems like just the right kind of fit for the Patriots with his strong work ethic, versatility, and ability to play special teams. I think he helped himself get drafted today.
- I think Folston really could have positioned himself to be someone to watch as an undrafted free agent if he didn't struggle catching the ball so much. Unfortunately a bad day is probably going to hurt him quite a bit.
Hopefully they see his overall body of work and he gets a shot at a camp and showing what he can do on the field.
- Cole Luke really needed to run in the 4.5 range, but a scout informed us that he ran 4.64 and 4.66. Too bad he doesn't get another shot at running it because 40 time for a corner is one of the only positions where that test is really valuable. His 3 cone of 6.82 and short shuttle of 4.15 were good, though.
In the drill work he looked smooth early, but lost some technique later when he seemed to get fatigued. He tripped out of one transition.
I think it may be tough for him to get drafted with that 40 time, but others have who ran at that speed before.
- Might as well share a few other random notes from the day. Former Irish players Kyle McCarthy, Kapron Lewis-Moore, and Darius Fleming were in attendance. McCarthy currently works for a sports agency and was there working in that capacity.
- It's pretty obvious why Brian Polian is such a great recruiter. He seemed to know everyone and if he didn't know them, he introduced himself and seemed to get along with them instantly.
- I saw scouts from the 49ers, Bears, Browns, Bengals, Texans, Patriots, Lions, Titans, Saints, Chargers, Ravens, Cardinals, Giants, Jets, Falcons, Colts, Seahawks, Chiefs, Bucs, and Redskins in attendance. I might have missed a few who weren't wearing team affiliated clothing, but 20 teams on a day where there weren't many top NFL prospects participating is not bad at all.
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