Detroit Lions 2017 NFL Draft Watchlist: Stanford at Notre Dame
By Erik Schlitt
DeShone Kizer
Redshirt Sophomore
#14
Quarterback
6’4″, 230
Early Draft Projection = Top 10
DeShone Kizer entered the season in a quarterback battle, but it didn’t take long for him to separate himself from Malik Zaire. No draft-eligible player has seen their draft stock rise like Kizer, who now considered one of the top talents in the draft.
Kizer has the potential to be the best QB and best QB prospect in college. https://t.co/EhPXBHzqEJ
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) September 2, 2016
As a redshirt sophomore, it’s not clear if Kizer will enter the NFL draft. But with his current projection being at an elite level, it seems inevitable. There are plenty of draft analysts writing glowing reviews of Kizer:
- NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’ compares him to Steve McNair
- Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller projected him to go first overall in his latest mock draft
- CBS Sports Dane Brugler also has him going first overall in his latest mock draft
- Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling thinks he’s the best quarterback in the 2017 class
And while those articles are fun reads for NFL draft fans, they won’t be necessary reads for Lions faithful. With Matthew Stafford the clear face of the franchise, and Kizer expected to be a high pick, he will only be mentioned by local sports radio talk show hosts and angry fans.