Jackson: Kizer hasn't played in pro-style offense, has much to learn

The player the Cleveland Browns hope will be the one to end the team's embarrassing string of starting quarterbacks over the last decade took the field in orange and brown for the first time this week, but head coach Hue Jackson stopped short of anointing him as savior.

"He's a very talented player,'' Jackson said Friday of quarterback DeShone Kizer, whom the Browns selected in the second round of the draft, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "He's a big guy with a big arm and very bright. He has a lot of upside, but he has a lot of work to do and I think he knows that. ... It is just one practice. We're not going to get too high or too low. ... He just has to keep working at it."

Jackson also made it clear that despite Kizer's impressive traits, the rookie still has a long road to travel before he's ready to become an NFL starter.

"He's very bright, that's not an issue. You have to remember he was a young man playing in the shotgun probably 90 percent of the time and had not played under center and had not played really in a sophisticated pro-style offense.

"He did some really good things today, but you have to do it again and again and again. The consistency of playing quarterback in the National Football League at a high level is a challenge. We will see if we can get him there. Today is just the first day."

Until the Browns feel comfortable that Kizer has a full grasp of the offense, the team's best option for a starting quarterback is probably Cody Kessler.

Though Cleveland won't want to rush Kizer, it's important for him not to waste any time proving he's ready to start. Unless Kessler can help the Browns pick up a few more wins than last season, the team could be in position next spring to draft a quarterback with an even more impressive pedigree than Kizer.