The Cleveland Browns raised some eyebrows when they selected Cody Kessler in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. The USC product was considered an undersized, weak-armed project likely to receive no more than late-round consideration. Instead, the perpetually quarterback-needy Browns took the plunge on Day 2. New head coach Hue Jackson said "trust me on this one" and pointed specifically to 6-foot-1, 220-pound Kessler's terrific accuracy.
Less than one year after selecting and praising his new quarterback, Jackson seems to be backing off. "You play with the hand that's dealt you," he said when asked at the NFL combine about the Kessler pick.
What's odd about Jackson's backpedaling is that Kessler was actually pretty good as a rookie. At the very least, he met or exceeded expectations. Here's proof the Browns shouldn't be so quick to bail on Kessler as their quarterback of the future.