CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns coach Hue Jackson expects rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer to draw comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger because of his size, arm strength and mobility.

"I don't know that I've coached a guy with this kind of skill set," Jackson said Thursday on team's in-house radio show, Cleveland Browns Daily on WKNR 850 AM. "But he's a big powerful man, so I know he's going to get compared to another guy on another team in our division.

"I'm not going to talk about [Roethlisberger] because he's that big and he has that kind of arm. He's very mobile. So again, I don't like to compare players and I know people will, but he's got to come in and do what he can do and be the best version of him and that's what we're going to allow him to do.''

That's not all Jackson will allow him to do. He reiterated that he won't dampen Kizer's enthusiasm for becoming the Browns' starter this season.

"We've got to coach him from the ground up, but we're working with a guy that's very talented,'' Jackson said. "This is a guy who has a skill set that's going to allow us to push and prod and get him to where he needs to be. ... I don't think we're going to rush to stick him out there but, at the same time, I'm not going to stop him from being out there if he demonstrates those skill sets very quickly."

Kizer has all the physical attributes Jackson covets, including a prototypical 6-4, 233-pound frame.

"He's a big man," said Jackson. "He has the AFC North stature that I love. He has a big arm. He's very intelligent. He's played in a real big-time football program. He understands the demands of playing the position. He understands the demands of being a quarterback and the face of a franchise.''

But he'll have to beat out Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler and Kevin Hogan to start games.

"I have to allow these guys to compete,'' he said. "I can honestly say that the group is ahead of where I thought they'd be. Cody's done a great job, Kevin has too and Brock has walked into the building and he's done an outstanding job. I think all three of those guys are doing exactly what I thought they'd do and even moreso.

"And we're going to have a chance to add DeShone into this as well, so I'm excited about the room. We still have a ways to go, but I know without question that we're further along than what we were a year ago.''

As for Kessler, Kizer's likely main challenger, Jackson said, "he's stronger. The ball is stronger. He looks more compact and stronger in the pocket when he's throwing the ball. Again, we've just been in drills and those type of things, but I can tell that he has really worked extremely hard this off-season."

The Browns will get their first look at Kizer on the field next weekend in rookie minicamp.