So far, things haven't gone according to plan for DeShone Kizer in his NFL career. Back in 2017, the Notre Dame quarterback was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
The Browns took the 6-foot-4 quarterback in hopes he could be the savior that could help Cleveland turn things around. In his rookie season, Kizer started in 15 games under center. Rather quickly, the entire city of Cleveland turned on the young quarterback after an abysmal rookie campaign.
In 2017, Kizer would struggle to keep the ball away from the defense with 22 interceptions and nine fumbles. The Browns organization immediately gave up on Kizer after the 2017 season. As a result, the Brown traded the young signal caller to the Green Bay Packers.
In exchange, the Browns received Damarious Randall and draft picks in return for Kizer's services. Kizer was leaving a rough situation in Cleveland to go to an organization that is known for its history of winning.
Could a change of scenery help get Kizer back on the right path towards being an NFL quarterback? That remains to be seen but this year, Kizer will need to take the next step in his career with the Packers.
In 2018, Kizer didn't see much action on the field since a guy by the name of Aaron Rodgers starts for Green Bay. Although, he did see the field against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 after Rodgers left momentarily with an injury.
The Packers backup quarterback threw an interception and fumbled the ball in just a few drives with the offense. It wasn't a good look at all for the second-year quarterback in his limited playing time in 2018. If anything, it showed Green Bay what Kizer had to work on moving forward.
After all, playing behind a talent like Rodgers has its perks. For one, you get to witness one of the best quarterbacks ever in the history of football work on his craft. Kizer should be taking notes on everything Rodgers does from his morning routine to how he goes to sleep.
In doing so, maybe Kizer can somehow pick up some of the abilities that Rodgers possesses. All jokes aside, leaving the Browns to sit behind Rodgers for a couple of years isn't the worst thing that could've happened.
So how can Kizer take the next step in his career with the Packers in 2019? Kizer has to prepare himself as if he was going to be the starter. At any moment, Rodgers could go down with an injury as he did in 2017. The team would then have to turn to Kizer to lead the offense.
After the Packers traded for Kizer during the 2017 offseason, the team then traded Brett Hundley. Of course, Hundley started in nine games in 2017 due to Rodgers missing a good portion of the season.
Even Kizer himself was surprised to see Hundley go. With this move, the Packers showed they were committed to Kizer developing as a quarterback under Rodgers. Kizer has yet to prove to the organization that he was worth the trade but he can do so in 2019.
The 23-year old quarterback can become a leader in the locker room and in the quarterback room. He may not see the field much with Green Bay in 2019 but there are other ways for Kizer to take the next step in his career.
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