QB Cody Kessler, Cleveland Browns

Usually when we think about the Cleveland Brown’s quarterbacks we think about a revolving door that shuffles a different starter every other week. That conversation will soon change with new rookie addition, Cody Kessler. In High School, Kessler was ranked as the number 2 pro-style quarterback in the country by Rivals.com, and he was also names the California Gatorade Player of the Year. He has played in a pro-style offense since high school and has been praised for his ability to learn a playbook quickly and effectively.

After red shirting, and subsequently being a backup his first two years at USC, Kessler was ready to take the reigns as the Trojan’s starting signal caller. He entered that year in a brutal position battle with Max Wittek, but ended the season by being named the Las Vegas Bowl MVP. In his second season as a starter, he set and tied several USC single season passing records. Most notably, he set the record for completion percentage with 69.4%. Ultimately, Kessler turned many heads by tying Marcus Marriota, the eventual Heisman Trophy Winner, with three Pac 12 Player of the Week awards.

To have an all-time record at a school that has the type of track record that USC does with their previous quarterbacks, proves that such a player has the tools to become something special at the next level. Furthering the point, Kessler’s completion percentage of 67.5, ranks a top the USC all-time list. In fact, throughout his entire career, he has been noted to have pinpoint accuracy and be able to make all types of throws across the field. Kessler is the type of quarterback that can sit back in the pocket and pick defenses apart with his patience and accuracy. He will rely on slot receivers and tight ends, much like Peyton Manning did during his time with Denver.

Although Kessler possesses accuracy, he is still raw and some have even viewed his as more of a game manager type. However, most of the reason why his accuracy percentage is so high is because he is a very low risk, low reward quarterback. It can be argued that this is why USC has struggled in the last few years in shootouts, simply because Kessler didn’t take that many shots down field. While Kessler is criticized by scouts for this very reason, he shows promise by boasting a very impressive 7:1 touchdown to interception ratio on passes over 20 yards.

Kessler’s value at this point is solely as a Taxi Squad designee or on expanded dynasty league rosters. That being said, if he falls to the right place in your draft, which should be mid to late third round in rookie drafts, he should be given a very hard look. Although he may not take over the starting spot this year, after having a solid year learning the NFL speed and system, he should compete for an opportunity to win the starting job next year. It’s important to note that the two players currently ahead of him do not seem to be long term solutions namely; Robert Griffin III, who has been plagued by the injury bug and hasn’t proven himself as a solid/consistent NFL starter and the incumbent, Josh McCown, who is 36 years old and has jumped from team to team 10 times throughout his career. It’s certainly not out of the question that the starting job could come for Kessler much sooner should anything happen to the aforementioned players so keep him firmly on your radar.

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