Cleveland Browns: DeShone Kizer’s work ethic refreshing

Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer has impressed at least one teammate with his work ethic, which is great news for Cleveland Browns fans.

The consensus immediately after the draft was that the Cleveland Browns landed a quarterback in DeShone Kizer, who has all the tools but needs time to develop. Thanks to a strong work ethic, though, Kizer could be ready to start sooner than later.

Head coach Hue Jackson said that the rookie was doing well in picking up the offense when asked if Kizer is coming along faster than expected, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com

Why is Kizer coming along more quickly than expected? He’s putting in hard work on the field and in the classroom, and he’s putting in extra work on his own time:

Kizer’s strong work habits have impressed Browns wide receiver and eight-year veteran Kenny Britt.

Per Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan, Britt said this of the rookie under center:

"“He’s grown each day,” veteran receiver Kenny Britt said Sunday prior to the fourth practice of camp. “From OTAs I can tell [he’s] a different person. I actually asked him [Saturday], ‘Has the offense slowed down?’ and he said, ‘Yes.’ I can tell he’s looking at certain things, he’s seeing the defense before the snap count and once he lines up he knows there’s certain things he has to do.“He’s going to be one of the great ones.”"

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It’s definitely too early to consider Kizer a future great, but the fact he’s working hard enough to impress a veteran like Britt is noteworthy for Browns fans.

The last quarterback the Browns drafted high, Johnny Manziel, was a polar opposite when it came to work ethic. Not only did he not put in extra work, he sometimes didn’t put in the work that was asked of him. Nate Burleson told The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima that Manziel wasn’t studying on his iPad on off days, as the team tracks activity in that regard.

Last year’s starter heading into the season, Robert Griffin III, said all the right things and acted like a hard worker. When it came to changing his flaws, though, the work ethic wasn’t there.

Sure, Griffin made it a point to show he could slide or throw the ball away in camp — seriously, he generated attention for himself with throwaways — but when it came to actually changing the way he played in games, he didn’t. If he had, he might have avoided injury last season and might have actually been a serviceable quarterback.

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Now, Kizer has flaws in his game too, and he’s going to have to work hard to overcome those where Griffin couldn’t. The fact we’re talking about his strong work habits in nearly camp—and not his sliding mechanics or his latest Vegas trip—should seem like a breath of fresh air for Cleveland fans.