Chicago Bears 2017 Draft Profiles: Quarterbacks

DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame (6-foot-4, 230 pounds)

Playing at Notre Dame, many Chicago Bears fans grew to love Kizer. It’s easy to love him. He wasn’t a favorite of Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly, who wanted Malik Zaire to be the starter. Time and again, however, Kizer beat him out for the spot. Perhaps the unappreciative feeling he got was a reason why he skipped his last two years of eligibility.

Kizer comes straight out of central casting for a quarterback. He is big, has a great arm, and is of high character; he is a natural leader. His arm loose, and his throwing motion is easy-going. He sees the field well, and he isn’t intimidated by any defense. Also, he isn’t intimidated by a complicated offense. He picked up Notre Dame’s playbook without problems and worked it well.

In addition to being big and throwing well out of the pocket, Kizer can slip oncoming rush. He uses his feet very well, and can sense the blitz and avoid it.

Kizer took a hit with the Irish’s performance in 2016. Much of that is attributed to the fact that he lost four of his best receivers, his left tackle and his top running back. As the Bears can surely attest, losing your top players from one season to another can really hurt an offense.

Many have Kizer as the number one or number two quarterback in this class. He will go high. He may be on the Bears’ radar, but even at three, he may be off the board before then.

Next: Surprise pick for Bears in recent mock draft

The Chicago Bears have a big decision to make. They need a quarterback, but do they choose one in the first round, or do they wait and find a bargain in the later rounds? Also, they can trade down in the first and acquire more picks to help in other areas as well. In any case, this is a crossroads offseason. Make the right choices now, and the future is bright. If not, we may see a lot more ugly play at Soldier Field.