DeShone Kizer left the NFL Combine having offered teams more questions than answers.
So the Notre Dame quarterback on Thursday was determined to air it all out — literally and figuratively — at his pro day in South Bend.
"I think that there was a clear question mark on some of the consistency with some throws and accuracy things and I wanted to come out and show what I've been working for the last two months," Kizer told NFL Network's Mike Mayock. "Defining my footwork, defining my mechanics and showing that I can be a consistent thrower at the highest level."
Indeed, Kizer didn't help himself with an uneven workout earlier this month at the Combine. He was also asked to address a disappointing 4-8 season and why he struggled at times throughout that campaign.
"After the end of the year and after a lot of film study and reflecting on the season, the ball's in my hands every play. I've just gotta make more plays," he said at the Combine. "I just didn't make enough plays. The ball's in my hand every play. It's my job at Notre Dame to put us in position to win games, to trust in the guys around me and develop the guys around me to make those plays with me."
Still, Kizer — a 6-foot-4, 230-pound prospect with a big arm — is considered one of the top players in this year's draft class. And on Thursday, he was out to prove he can be a face-of-the-franchise quarterback at the next level.
"I think the arm talent is there, I loved his presence today. He took control of the drills ,a lot of people were asking about that, that leadership," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly told Mayock.
"I think his makeup is one that he can be that leader. Because we know about his arm talent — I think that's been well documented — but he's got all those other features you need as well."
Kizer passed for 2,935 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season before declaring for the draft.
"After going through this whole situation, and seeing all the different factors that can weight into it, the ultimately the decision just came by looking at myself in the mirror and figuring out who I was and where I was in my development," he told Mayock. "And quite frankly, I feel confident in who I am, my ability to understand the game both pre and post snap, my ability to throw the ball down the field, my size and my awareness and experience that I've had here. My ultimate goal has been to win a Super Bowl."
