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Browns select USC quarterback Cody Kessler with 93rd pick in NFL draft

USC quarterback Cody Kessler connects with receiver Juju Smith-Schuster for a 72-yard touchdown pass against Arizona during a game at the Coliseum on Nov. 7.

USC quarterback Cody Kessler connects with receiver Juju Smith-Schuster for a 72-yard touchdown pass against Arizona during a game at the Coliseum on Nov. 7.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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USC quarterback Cody Kessler was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 31st pick in the third round of the NFL draft, the 93rd pick overall.

Kessler, 22, was a three-year starter for the Trojans. He completed a school-record 68% of his passes during his career.

Last season, Kessler passed for 29 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He passed for 10,339 yards and 88 touchdowns, with 19 interceptions, in his career with the Trojans.

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“We really think that this guy is the right fit for us and this football team,” Browns Coach Hue Jackson said via the Browns’ Twitter feed.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Kessler came to USC from Bakersfield Centennial High. He redshirted in 2011 and threw only two passes in 2012.

In 2013, he beat out Max Wittek in a competition to succeed Matt Barkley as the Trojans’ starting quarterback.

In 2014, he completed 69.7% of his passes, 39 for touchdowns, with only five interceptions.

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