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Possible Landing Spots For DeShone Kizer

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DeShone Kizer and his sister, Maelyn, arrive at the NFL Draft on Thursday.
DeShone Kizer and his sister, Maelyn, arrive at the NFL Draft on Thursday. (Associated Press)
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DeShone Kizer will have to wait until Day 2 of the NFL Draft to hear his name called.

The former Notre Dame quarterback was not among the first 32 picks of the 2017 draft Thursday. Kizer, who is in Philadelphia for the event, will likely be selected in the second round, which begins tonight at 7 p.m. (ESPN/NFL Network).

“Disappointed in not being drafted last night but very excited to see what my future holds,” Kizer tweeted Friday morning. “Me and my family had an incredible experience.”

Kizer, who wore a lavender-colored suit at the draft, watched as Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were selected in the first round. Trubisky was a surprise pick at No. 2 to the Chicago Bears, Mahomes went No. 10 to the Kansas City Chiefs and Watson to the Houston Texans at No. 12.

As the first round concluded Thursday evening, several teams with a need for a quarterback traded up. The Cleveland Browns moved up to No. 29, but selected Miami tight end David Njoku. The San Francisco 49ers traded up to No. 31, but general manager John Lynch — who was in attendance for Kizer’s March 23 pro day — went with Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster.

Kizer, though, is still considered a risky pick. In a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel poll of 16 NFL evaluators, Kizer was named the most likely quarterback to bust among the class' top-five signal-callers. Kizer receiver nine votes, while Mahomes finished a distant second with two votes.

It’s not a guarantee that Kizer goes in the second round. Matt Barkley, Connor Cook and Bryce Petty have gone into the draft in recent years with second round grades, only to fall into the fourth round. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projected Kizer to go in the third round, and that could still be a possibility.

Here is a list of potential landing spots for the 6-foot-4, 233-pound native of Toledo, Ohio:

Green Bay Packers (No. 33)

Even with veteran Aaron Rodgers entrenched as the starter, Green Bay could move forward with Kizer as its future quarterback.

Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 35)

Starting quarterback Blake Bortles, the third overall selection in 2014, hasn’t lived up to expectations thus far. If the Jaguars want to push Bortles with a quality backup, Kizer could be a logical pick. It would be an ideal landing spot for Kizer, who would benefit from a young defense and a powerful running game headed by 2017 first-round pick Leonard Fournette.

Los Angeles Chargers (No. 38)

Longtime starter Philip Rivers is 35 years old, and the Chargers could use an insurance policy at quarterback. The team is thin behind Rivers, with only Kellen Clemens and Mike Bercovici currently signed as backups. Like most of the teams that could possibly draft Kizer in the second round, the Chargers wouldn’t need Kizer’s services for a year or two.

New York Jets (No. 39)

Kizer could potentially win a starting job with the lowly Jets in 2017, but that speaks more to the team’s lack of talent at quarterback. New York started Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2016, but he is currently a free agent. Josh McCown, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg are the Jets’ options at quarterback, and Kizer has as much or more upside than all of them.

New Orleans Saints (No. 42)

The Saints could be looking for their future quarterback with veteran Drew Brees entering the later stages of his career. Head coach Sean Payton could pull the trigger on Kizer, an intriguing prospect with a lot of upside.

Arizona Cardinals (No. 45)

Head coach Bruce Arians could be looking for a successor to veteran Carson Palmer. The Cardinals currently have Drew Stanton and Zac Dysert as backups, but Kizer could be groomed to be the team’s future starter. Arians worked with Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, a quarterback Kizer has been compared to.

New York Giants (No. 55)

Considered a raw product needing a year or two in an NFL system, Kizer could be a fit for the Giants, who have veteran Eli Manning. Manning never misses games and has a bevy of weapons at his disposal, including 2017 first-round pick Evan Ingram. Kizer could be a future option for a team that doesn’t have a pressing need at quarterback.

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