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May 2, 20162016 NFL Draft: Categorical, ridiculous draft grades for the Browns
May 2, 2016When the Cleveland Browns selected USC quarterback Cody Kessler with the 93rd-overall pick (third round) of the draft, many questioned and were shocked by the selection. But, the Browns front office made it clear they believed in Kessler as their guy, and the Dawg Pound should trust them on this decision. Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown even admitted that the rookie will be in the competition for the starting quarterback job during Training Camp this summer.
“I do think (QB) Cody (Kessler) is a guy that I would not want to sleep on at all if I were a quarterback wanting to be the starting quarterback of the Browns. He is going to come in serious and ready to work.”
Obviously, it will be hard to push Robert Griffin III out of the starting spot behind center, considering he signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Browns this off-season, but the fact that he believes Kessler will be in the competition speaks highly of the quarterback. Also, keep in mind, Brown said just a couple weeks ago that RG3 isn’t guaranteed the starting job. Whether Kessler is head coach Hue Jackson’s diamond in the rough at quarterback from this draft remains a question, but it seems as though the entire front office has high expectations for the gunslinger, including Jackson himself.
“This young man has uncanny ability to throw the ball with accuracy. He’s very intelligent. He’s been in every kind of system you can think of. He is a grinder. He loves to work at the game.”
While Brown, Jackson and the rest of the front office believe that Kessler has plenty of potential, they also realize much depends on how hard the quarterback is willing to work; before, during, after practice, in the film room, and in the weight room. But, the head coach has faith Kessler will do all the right things, and it will lead to Browns fans being impressed by Kessler’s ability as an NFL quarterback.
“Now, he has to do the work, just like I’ve said about every quarterback we’ve had here. I think he will do the work, but I think at the same time as we go through this process, I think you guys will be admired with how he throws the ball with quickness and how he throws it directly to people to give guys opportunities to make catches on the ball.”
Chief Strategy Office Paul DePodesta also recognizes these characteristics in Kessler and notes how having a quarterback guru like Hue Jackson as a mentor played into the decision.
“He has some of the skills that we value highly in a quarterback. He’s a quick decision maker and a very accurate thrower. There are things that we felt like Hue could really do with him and make him as good as he can be or as productive as he could be. We just felt like he could be a really good fit in our offense and with the coaches that we have.”
Whether Kessler is a successful quarterback for the Browns will remain a question until he proves himself on the field of play, but one thing is clear: this Browns’ regime already believes in the rookie’s ability to be an NFL quarterback. The front office has been truthful in admitting the fanbase might question their choices, but it is now up to Kessler and the rest of the draft class to begin the process of earning the trust for the decisions the front office makes.
23 Comments
Greatest Kessler of all time.
http://filmescape.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/seinfeld-pilot-300×225.jpg
haha. well done. The Original.
I forgot that Kessler was from Bakersfield, as a former Bako inhabitant I wish him well.
Here was a decent SI article on Kessler I recall reading last fall from a season preview
http://www.si.com/vault/2016/02/11/trojans-horse
One of these is Cody Kessler’s draft profile… the other is Drew Brees’
Positives… Touch passer with the ability to read and diagnose defensive coverages…Confident leader who knows how to take command in the huddle…Very tough and mobile moving around in the pocket…Has a quick setup and is very effective throwing on the move… Throws across his body with great consistency…Hits receivers in stride and improvises his throws in order to make a completion…Puts good zip behind the short and mid-range passes…Shows good judgement and keen field vision…Has a take-charge attitude and is very cool under pressure…Hits receivers in motion with impressive velocity…Has superb pocket presence and uses all of his offensive weapons in order to move the chains…Has solid body mechanics and quickness moving away from center…Elusive scrambler with the body control to avoid the rush.
Negatives…Plays in the spread offense, taking the bulk of his snaps from the shotgun…Tends to side-arm his passes going deep…Lacks accuracy and touch on his long throws…Seems more comfortable in the short/intermediate passing attack…Does not possess the ideal height you look for in a pro passer, though his ability to scan the field helps him compensate in this area…Will improvise and run when the passing lanes are clogged, but tends to run through defenders rather than trying to avoid them to prevent unnecessary punishment.
Strengths…Great ball placement on throws inside 10 yards, leads receiver to maximize YAC. Good timing and anticipatory throwing, key traits with his lack of arm strength. Gets ball out quickly with clean release. Athleticism and mobility to escape pressure. Despite average stature, shows surprising strength in the pocket to break tackles. Takes good care of the football, knows his limitations and doesn’t take unwise risks. Good accuracy on the move, can be utilized on rollouts. Three-year starter in a pro-style system. High football IQ, works through progressions quickly. Highly competitive, tough kid with ideal leadership traits and work ethic
I join in the chorus of everyone saying, “huh?,” on this pick; however, I will say that it’s refreshing to see that the team at least has specific, discernible reasons for drafting him. Unlike every other QB since Tim Couch that just seem to have been shots in the dark.
Weaknesses… Lacks ideal height and frame for a quarterback. Significant arm strength issues, velocity on intermediate to short range leaves a lot to be desired. Will hold ball a tad too long to try and get extra mustard on it, leads to passes dipping early down the field. Past 15 yards, accuracy to all areas of the field plummets. Deep ball placement is all over the place, rarely finds range to put pass on the money. Touch throw accuracy is poor, struggles to find proper range. Will often check down to easy throws underneath due to limitations deep. Has to crank the ball up to drive it down the field or to the far hash, slows delivery. Retreats/gives ground in the pocket rather than step up when facing edge pressure
Very similar pros/cons. If Hue thinks he found someone 70% of Drew Brees in the third round, he got a steal.
Take that for what it’s worth, which isn’t much. Sashi has to say that, whether he means it or not, right? He can’t very well say that the kid’s got no shot. So this goes in the file it and forget it pile.
hi SCRIPTY … great article. i finally looked at his career numbers at usc , and his career completion % (67.5%) , int rate & qb rating are off-the-charts !!
his career completion % (67.5%) is eye-popping , to say the least.
“Great ball placement on throws inside 10 yards, leads receiver to maximize YAC”
Uhh… Corey Coleman anyone?
Exactly. If this is the sort of QB they want for their offense–accurate, ball control, avoiding mistakes, staying in the pocket–then I’m fine with this pick. Might not see many deep bombs, but hopefully opportunities to put WRs in position for YAC. I believe that sort of QB play has a far greater chance of succeeding in Cleveland and in the NFL in general than guys like (ugh) John Pigskin or (sigh) Robert Griffin III.
wait, you mean the FO and coaching staff put together a draft plan and actually took players that will complement each other? Is that allowed?
I went on Youtube two nights ago and watched all of Kessler’s passes from the 2015 Notre Dame game and the 2015 Wisconsin game. Afterward, I can see the appeal based on what the Browns are building. His accuracy comes as-advertised. Almost all of his incomplete passes from those games fall into one of four buckets: 1) throw-aways when under pressure and no one is open. 2) Drops. 3) Bombs where his WR had one-on-one coverage deep and he gave his receiver a chance to make a play 4) Passing the ball into a tight window and the pass is broken up or arrives without giving the receiver enough time to catch. And it seemed like this last situation would occur when Kessler didn’t have any other options and the pass would be thrown to an area that gave his receiver the best chance to win it. Long story short, the kid is very accurate and deliberate in his decision-making so that he doesn’t give up INTs. He has gigantic hands, so we probably don’t need to worry about throwing in poor conditions.
I did see a couple of things that concern me. He did a good job of using windows between the defensive linemen when passing, but his height is going to get some balls either tipped or batted down. That’s just going to happen and we’ll have to live with it. Secondly, I don’t think his delivery is fast enough and that’s something he’ll need to work on, but he has more arm strength than people are giving him credit for. It’s not elite by any stretch, but I think it’s acceptable for a starting NFL QB. He threw some 30-35 yard bombs without much effort and with good accuracy. The throw that looked the slowest to me was his throw to the sidelines on screen passes. He needs to speed up his delivery or some of those passes will get jumped for pick-sixes in the NFL. Finally, he needs to add some muscle mass.
He’s really a great fit with Corey Coleman. He’s going to get the ball to Coleman accurately and quickly so that Coleman can capitalize on using his elusiveness and speed. Ditto for Duke Johnson.
I’m all for competition in as many areas as possible (hello, WR) but I’m having a hard time imagining how an RG III/Kessler competition would operate in training camp. Griffin and Kessler are about as different as a pair of QB’s can be in terms of skill set. Both will require very different offenses to take advantages of their respective strengths. Even the surrounding personnel may have to change to take advantage of those strengths.
I would never suggest such a thing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen “a draft plan” before to have any clue what one looks like.
Nothing the Browns have done in this off-season is about 2016. Don’t worry about what happens this year. I’m sure the coaching staff will know who to cut at the end of camp, and then the rest will play out over the next couple of years. I expect RG3 to start. Kessler will get what reps he gets, and probably a couple of starts (assuming no McCown). 2016 is all about getting these guys some on-field experience under live fire and staying as healthy as possible.
Agree that none of this is about 2016. I see this as Sashi setting up to later say, “It was a fierce competition. Robert won out in the end, but Cody gave him a run for his money. The kid’s got a future and we’re really excited to have such a young, promising guy on our team.” And whatever cliches he can squeeze in there…
“Something, something, something, quarterback position, something, something, one-hundred and ten percent, something, left it all on the field, something, something, something, he’s learning to take it to the next level.”
I think he has some Andy Dalton in him. I should say I thought Dalton was a horrible pick at the time. I think Kessler maybe more mentally tough than Dalton entering the NFL as his adversity was much greater. But note Dalton has an inch on Kessler. For some an inch is a lot.
Here is Dalton’s draft profile:
Overview
Dalton is four-year starter and proven winner, but he will
have a difficult transition to the NFL. He is undersized and will not
be able to take off and run at the next level. He is generally an
accurate passer, however he will make some poor throws when his
mechanics break down. Also, he plays in a very user friendly scheme
where he throws to a lot of wide open receivers and it is unclear if he
can fit the ball into tight windows. Dalton will need some time to
learn a more complicated offense and he looks to be a mid-round pick.
Analysis
Strengths Dalton is a well prepared player that scans
the whole field and makes solid decisions. Has a quick release, a
strong arm and is an accurate passer, especially on the run. Has great
mobility in the pocket and shows very good instincts as a runner.
Extremely productive collegiate career.
Weaknesses On the shorter side and has a three-quarter
delivery which will likely result in a lot of batted passes. Deeper
throws will float at times when he does not set his feet. Played in a
spread offense and will have to learn a pro style system. Does not
always feel pressure in the pocket which nullifies his good mobility.
we have a feature tomorrow that will help validate much of what you say here. well done.
Nice! Looking forward to reading it.
Kessler Q&A with InsidethePylon’s Mark Schofield is now up. Enjoy.