When Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said his former quarterback DeShone Kizer should have stayed in school instead of entering the NFL draft, many took it as a harsh criticism. Kizer didn’t see it that way.
Kizer said on ESPN 1000 that he agrees with Kelly that he has more room to grow, but Kizer wants to see if he can grow as a quarterback while playing at the highest level.
“It’s honestly the truth,” Kizer said. “I have two more years available [of college eligibility]. I’m only 21 years of age. There is a lot of growth for me. There’s a lot of growth for everyone in this draft. There’s a lot of guys out there who had to make big adjustments as they move into the NFL, and I know it. That’s why I’m not the No. 1 quarterback guaranteed walking into this draft as we speak.”
Most people consider Kizer the No. 3 quarterback this year, behind Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky. So it’s easy to see why Kelly thinks Kizer should have stayed. But even if Kizer still has some growing up to do on the field, the way he handled Kelly’s comments showed a kind of maturity that NFL teams will like to see.