DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2016 NFL Season 2016 NFL Draft Third Round Pick - QB Cody Kessler

Thanks for saying that. I've been wanting to post a quote I saw last night, and this seems like the perfect place to drop it in. Dawgs please note the bolded type:






http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...or-playoff-push

The same is true about Oakland.

j/c

Here are a couple pieces on Kessler.

Article Link

Video with Commentary Link

Oh I've seen footage of the kid. I still think the kid was a huge reach. I still don't believe he will ever be an NFL starter unless it's due to injury. I still think there were much better picks on the board and would have been there for us later.

But that's just what I think.

yup.

I haven't posted much in the PF and Draft threads lately, because my jury is still out regarding Haslem's willingness to see a project through. I haven't grown attached to Hue & Co. -nor will I try, until we're in our 3rd year with this regime. I've also stopped placing a heavy emotional investment in drafts/the outcome of games until I see:

1. A reasonably balanced team with some experience
2. Signs from the top that we're still committed to The Plan.

Another total tear-down/rebuild. I've finally accepted that reality, but I simply CANNOT get excited about anything until I see some commitment from JH. "Two years and punt" is no way to build a team.

Like what Jax and OAK have done. Hope we do the same.


.02

Ya know Pit I didn't have a problem with the draft till this pick. Now I may have took different guys, but at the same positions. There was what I thought were better player's available to us. Now once you get beyond the third, max your picks to try and hit on a few.


With this draft in and with all the picks next yr. I think they are trying to crame 4 drafts into two.

I expect a lot of trades next yr also to try and make 3 drafts 6. And from that point on is when they go for broke in FA and the draft. Sure hope I'm alive when they make it. I'll be 64 in a month and a half.

so...

I will say this:

There are a lot of players that dropped in the draft and there were a lot that were picked earlier.

This kid just happens to be one of them. We don't know if another team would have picked him up before we had out next pick.

What we do know is that the HC is goo goo eyes for him.

Our HC happens to be one of the best QB whisperers out there.

I'll take Hue's opinion over mine,a draft projection off some mock draft site or ESPN, non NFL scouting people or people that draft players.

j/c

Look at Goff and Kessler's 2014 stats.

Jared Goff stats from ESPN
Cody Kessler stats from ESPN

Kessler had more touchdowns, fewer INTs, and a higher yards per pass attempt average in 2014 than Goff when his situation was not a trainwreck.

Goff just went first overall.

Quarterback Ball Velocity at NFL Combine



I think the weak arm deal is misleading. Average seems more accurate. Joe Flacco had the same 55 mph in 2008.

The talent around Goff was not nearly as good. Also, Goff has three inches on Kessler and throws great on the deep routes.

Says WHO?

Where are you guys getting this "Whisperer" thing from?

And I know all about Flacco and Dalton. You're ASSuming Jacksons role in their development. Or LACK OF.

Wait. I'll call Joe and Red myself and find out.

And you're SPOT ON

No offense but I'm 42 and I know that I don't have nearly enough years left to see a winner out of the Browns. Not nearly enough even if I make it to 100!

j/c...

we should have seen this coming

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...p-of-the-draft/


Hue Jackson knows there may be better quarterbacks than the guys at the top of the draft

This is not even close to what the "article" says. This is the only quote from Hue Jackson in the link you provided:



Also, just for clarification, this article was posted a week before the draft.

The newspapers are the ones calling him that.

http://www.todayspigskin.com/afc-today/c...er-hue-jackson/

http://www.todayspigskin.com/afc-today/c...er-hue-jackson/

Jackson Is Known As A QB Whisperer

The turnaround in Andy Dalton over the last two seasons has coincided with Jackson taking over the offensive coordinator duties. In the past two seasons, Dalton’s completion percentage has gone from 61.9% in 2013 to 64.2% in 2014 and 66.1% in 2015. In 2015, Dalton also had the lowest interception rate of his career throwing just seven picks in 386 attempts in the 13 games he played.

That’s good news for the Browns who are still trying to figure out the QB spot.

He’s Coached For 29 Years, Been an NFL Coach For 15 Years

Since starting out as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Pacific in 1987, Jackson has coached consistently on the offensive side of the ball as he moved up the coaching ranks through college, the World League, and the NFL. He’s had plenty of experience and seasoning working on the offensive side of the ball at all levels.

Jackson Played QB In College

During his playing career he was a quarterback for Pacific for the 1985-86 seasons and threw for 2,544 yards and 19 TD’s during that time. So, not only has he coached quarterbacks for much of his career, he played the position as well.


He's coaches Carson Palmer, Flacco, Harrington, Jason Cambbell, and Andy Dalton

Pretty Much all of them had success while he was coaching the,

1. that was the name of the article.
2. That's why I said that we should have seen this coming

Jason Campbell played almost exactly to his career averages under Hue Jackson.

Joey Harrington was normal, terrible Joey Harrington under Hue Jackson.

Carson Palmer was just about the same as he ever was (and probably a little worse) under Hue Jackson.

Jackson's QB whisperer resume is built on the back of the work he did with Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco. Anything else is a major reach.

I know that was the name of the article. It is totally misleading.

Seen what coming? Drafting a QB later in the draft? We all knew that was coming.

jc

The great Mike Holmgren was supposed to be the ultimate QB whisperer...ummm what did that get us? Wallace, Delhomme, McCoy and Weeden! lol

j/c:

This talk of Hue being a QB Whisperer is being greatly exaggerated.

I am NOT dissing him. I am not saying he sucks. I am saying some people read a couple of things, they get repeated over and over on the board, and they become "truth."

Dalton actually regressed his first year under Hue. He had his best year last year under Hue, but it wasn't a significant gain. It was more like he is maturing as a qb. Natural progression.

The Flacco stuff makes no sense to me. Palmer? He didn't do too well in Oakland. Jason Campbell? Really? What did Hue do w/Pryor as a rookie? LOL

I know it is coming across like I am knocking Hue, but that is not my intent. My intent is that I think some people should do some research and see that perhaps Hue isn't this great QB Whisperer that some people are trying to make us believe.

Oh...........and Grimm posted another Kessler highlight reel. Some of you should check out RGIII's "highlight" reels from college. See how they compare. LOL

Jackson said before the draft that he really wanted to keep Alex Mack.

Let me edit this..............there are a lot of things said "before the draft."

Grimm-

Cook only threw 50 mph? That's more of a reason from him to slip imho then that other mumbo.

Maybe his shoulder is still messed up.

I'm just saying that it is not a groundbreaking statement to say that Kessler will compete for the starting job.

Remember, Holmgren never coached the Browns. Just because Shurmur couldn't develop a Qb doesn't mean that Holmy couldn't have had he been HC.

Also, I think Colt never fully recovered from that shoulder injury in the bowl game. I think he lost a lot of velocity because of that injury that he was never able to raegain.

Kessler may be a career backup. But he may be the career backup the team needs.

Accuracy and good decision making and playing within a structure of an offense can go a long way for a career.

Who knows if he can overcome his physical limitations? Even if he can't, I would say a 3rd round pick on a reliable backup QB is draft capital well spent.

For comparison's sake: Kessler and Hoyer have similar physical abilities, but Kessler is far, far more accurate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m6VaOcPf3Q

Watch the last touchdown in this clip. I think this is what Hue Jackson means by uncanny accuracy. The ball was slipped between 3 defenders to the tight end in a window of maybe 2 feet.

Hmmm...

I've watched a few of these clips, and I'm no expert by any means, but his arm looks to be plenty good enough to play at this level.

I'm not looking at Charlie Frye or Ken Dorsey here.

When I read some scouting reports after we drafted him, I got a sense he had a weak arm, but after "further review", as in watching some clips, maybe this kid ain't so bad.
But why wasn't he hyped more, pre-draft?

Because, he didn't come with the fancy packaging ... The physical things one can measure. Add that to coming from a program that has been on life support due to sanctions and lack of stability due to consistent changes in the Coaching staff. Sound familar?

Nice.....I saw where Russell Wilson also threw 55.

Kesslers arm is fine.

Absolutely. Even backup QB is a hole that needs to be filled. A third round pick which plugs a hole is a good pick indeed...

Time will tell. I hope these analytic guys get it right.

Each and every year, Brown's fans convince themselves that players that got a low grade are actually great players. They start making things up about why their guy wasn't as highly rated as some others. Who can forget the hype on this board for Timid, Frye, BQ, Colt, Weeden, and Manziel?

Fancy packaging? Kessler put up extremely gaudy numbers in college.

A program on life support? USC was ranked 13th in the country in ESPN's preseason poll.

USC ALWAYS has talent, but their coaching staff while Kessler was the starter was god awful. Lane Kiffin was the worst head coach I have ever seen, and Sark was literally drunk on the sidelines.

Does not make up for the fact that Kessler has limited physical abilities.

He's 6'1, isn’t extremely athletic and doesn't have a big arm.

He is extremely accurate.
Has very good footwork.
Throws well on the run.
He has big hands 10+ at the combine.
He can run a pro-style offense.


I am big proponent of completion percentage (system dependent) and footwork. Kessler has high marks for both.


It's definitely a "trust me" pick byt Hue Jackson, we'll see.

First post here so...

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I dislike the pick, but then Hue says to trust him and in terms of quarterback development, I actually do trust him.

He's accurate with the ball. Better arm than Shaw. Can scramble when truly needed. Heck, even watched him take snaps from center.

Hue got what he wanted, so for me, I guess I'm okay with this selection on really that standpoint alone.

I was really scratching my head on this pick, didn't like it, didn't like where he was taken especially. I don't like USC and can't remember their last QB that had success in the NFL. I DID NOT want Cook, so I thought Prescott would be the next best logical choice, since they didn't go up to get Lynch. But after watching more throws, this is what I see:

I think the knock on his arm comes from several deep balls where the WR had to slow down, or even stop to catch the ball. They're not all like that, and in fact throws plenty of accurate deep balls where the WR runs under to catch them, but there are a few.

I tend to discount throws where the receivers are wide open, I think anyone should be able to make those and he does. He does, however, seem to thread the needle well, throwing accurately into double and triple coverage without getting his WR killed. His ball placement tends to stand out, throwing his WRs open and allowing them to get YAC. You can see why Hue is high on his accuracy. Especially since NFL windows are so tight.

I don't normally like shorter QBs, but Wilson was sort of a game changer in that arena. Kessler seems to see the field well and finds the open guy, or at least the guy he can get the ball to. He also seems to have a certain "escapability" and throws well on the run, moving to his right. I don't know about moving to his left. He seems to prefer to throw instead of run, but can run, and seems to run to get open to throw if there's a man open.

This is a good sampling of work:



And while it is a highlight reel, there's plenty to see. Also, it's very hard to argue with a 67.5 completion percentage, or an 88 to 19 TD to INT ratio.

Bottom line, I'm not saying he's the future, or even a future starter, but he's worth keeping an eye on, and I'm suddenly much more interested in the QB competition.

I sure hope he has the chance to sit and learn for a yr or so. Our worse nightmare is he's thrown to the wolves because of injuries.

If he beats out McCown, count on it. Besides, of all the QB's taken in the first three rounds, he may actually be the most ready. He's played in a pro-style offense, and he goes through his progressions. The question marks lie in his ability to read defenses, and his ability to step up in the pocket and throw under presser. The other question mark is, if he has to step in due to injury, did it happen because the line can't protect the QB, or because the QB won't stay in the pocket. If it's the latter, it may not be not a problem. If it's the former, no one will succeed.

I watched some videos of this kid..

his release is a little wide but man, he can spin the ball just fine and place it where he wants it.

He is really starting to grow on me.

i'll be interested to see how he translates in the NFL.