Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
Notre Dame Football
Kizer Talks Notre Dame Pro Day
DeShone Kizer got his chance to prove to the NFL that his footwork and accuracy was improving at Thursday’s Notre Dame Pro Day and the 6-foot-5, 233-pounder didn’t disappoint. The numbers will reflect some incompletions, but there were plenty of drops from Kizer’s receiving corps on the day, and the Toledo native never showed any signs of frustration.
“I am very confident in what I did today,” stated Kizer after his workout “This process is very different in a sense in the way you look productive at the NFL Combine and Pro Day in the way you look on the field. Overall, I thought I did a good job. I am very happy with the guys who came out and helped me out.”
Kizer showed leadership during his throwing session as he was giving guys compliments and keeping his guy's spirits up. However, maybe the biggest takeaway was slowing his guys down and making sure his receivers took their time.
“When the lights are on you, you typically speed things up,” explained Kizer. “It’s like the old saying of preparing for a speech; you need to prepare for the speech to be 20 seconds less than when on paper.
“We were out there, and everyone was excited. We were having a good time, and those guys were trying to get up and go. I had to remind them it was at our pace. It was our day and opportunity to show what we could do.”
Amir Carlisle, Jonas Gray, Chase Hounshell, Tarean Folston and Corey Robinson made up Kizer’s receiving corps and struggled at times. Robinson, who retired from football last summer, was likely the best receiver on the day.
“It was a different situation than most,” said Kizer. “A lot of guys typically go into Pro Day with one or two guys they’ve thrown to quite a bit. It’s going to be like that when I step up there in two months. It’s another opportunity to show my arm strength and the things I have been working on.”
During today’s workout, Kizer wanted to clean up his throwing technique, footwork, and accuracy. He felt like he did just that after watching film of where he struggled at the NFL Combine a month ago.
“Some of my throws to the left,” Kizer explained. “At the combine, I was jerking at the top at the top of my drop, and I wanted to show it wasn’t me. I wanted to show I could be a guy that could turn aggressively at the top of my drop, but it threw me off balance. I got back to drifting left instead of jerking or turning left.
“It’s all about consistency in this league. Productivity comes from consistency. Anything I can do to prove that I can be a consistent passer is going to help me out.”
Kizer met with the New Orleans Saints immediately following Pro Day and is set to do a private workout for the Chicago Bears in the coming weeks. San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch was present on Thursday and Kizer has been answering the same question from all teams: What went wrong in 2016?
“Teams are going to put a big question mark on the season we went through last year, but after explaining my two-cents on why it went the way it did, a lot of teams are moving forward to figuring out what it’s going to take to be a consistent thrower,” stated Kizer. “The league is all about the most productive and winning games. They are going to try to figure out how to develop me into the most accurate passer I can be.”
The 49ers have the draft’s number two pick and need a quarterback. Kizer and Lynch have developed a good relationship and the GM flying to South Bend is a good sign.
“It was awesome,” Kizer said of having Lynch at Notre Dame. “Mr. Lynch and I have spent quite a bit of time together. We have gotten to know each other quite well. I look forward to what they do with the number two spot.”
“I am very confident in what I did today,” stated Kizer after his workout “This process is very different in a sense in the way you look productive at the NFL Combine and Pro Day in the way you look on the field. Overall, I thought I did a good job. I am very happy with the guys who came out and helped me out.”
Kizer showed leadership during his throwing session as he was giving guys compliments and keeping his guy's spirits up. However, maybe the biggest takeaway was slowing his guys down and making sure his receivers took their time.
“When the lights are on you, you typically speed things up,” explained Kizer. “It’s like the old saying of preparing for a speech; you need to prepare for the speech to be 20 seconds less than when on paper.
“We were out there, and everyone was excited. We were having a good time, and those guys were trying to get up and go. I had to remind them it was at our pace. It was our day and opportunity to show what we could do.”
Amir Carlisle, Jonas Gray, Chase Hounshell, Tarean Folston and Corey Robinson made up Kizer’s receiving corps and struggled at times. Robinson, who retired from football last summer, was likely the best receiver on the day.
“It was a different situation than most,” said Kizer. “A lot of guys typically go into Pro Day with one or two guys they’ve thrown to quite a bit. It’s going to be like that when I step up there in two months. It’s another opportunity to show my arm strength and the things I have been working on.”
During today’s workout, Kizer wanted to clean up his throwing technique, footwork, and accuracy. He felt like he did just that after watching film of where he struggled at the NFL Combine a month ago.
“Some of my throws to the left,” Kizer explained. “At the combine, I was jerking at the top at the top of my drop, and I wanted to show it wasn’t me. I wanted to show I could be a guy that could turn aggressively at the top of my drop, but it threw me off balance. I got back to drifting left instead of jerking or turning left.
“It’s all about consistency in this league. Productivity comes from consistency. Anything I can do to prove that I can be a consistent passer is going to help me out.”
Kizer met with the New Orleans Saints immediately following Pro Day and is set to do a private workout for the Chicago Bears in the coming weeks. San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch was present on Thursday and Kizer has been answering the same question from all teams: What went wrong in 2016?
“Teams are going to put a big question mark on the season we went through last year, but after explaining my two-cents on why it went the way it did, a lot of teams are moving forward to figuring out what it’s going to take to be a consistent thrower,” stated Kizer. “The league is all about the most productive and winning games. They are going to try to figure out how to develop me into the most accurate passer I can be.”
The 49ers have the draft’s number two pick and need a quarterback. Kizer and Lynch have developed a good relationship and the GM flying to South Bend is a good sign.
“It was awesome,” Kizer said of having Lynch at Notre Dame. “Mr. Lynch and I have spent quite a bit of time together. We have gotten to know each other quite well. I look forward to what they do with the number two spot.”
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