Wednesday, April 19, 2017

2017 Draft Profile - Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

Deshaun Watson

QB - Clemson - #4 - Junior
6-2 - 221 - 4.66 speed
Past two years: 30 starts - 721 of 1,070 for 8,697 yards - 67.3% - 76TD/30INT - 1,734 yards rushing - 21 rushing TDs
Watson is one who needs no introduction as a player who either did or should have won every award while leading Clemson to two amazing seasons that culminated with the national title.
POSITIVES:  If you have watched any college football in the last two seasons, chances are you have seen Watson play against the best competition and do so very well.  He has beaten everyone and he does so with an ability to make throws all over the field that are difficult to defend and then using his feet with RB type ability on the edge.  He diagnosis blitzes well and throws very nice seam throws and slants.  He can fit the ball in tight spaces and has off-the-charts field general characteristics.  He also seems to have a great head on his shoulders off the field and that scores quite well.  He is calm in big game settings and confident he can beat whatever you throw at him.  He delivers the ball on time and excels at the 2nd phase of the play when you defy the Xs and Os.   He makes you leave a QB spy on him, which helps his coverage reads with fewer defenders available.  
CONCERNS:  He lacks the gun of Mahomes or Trubisky to the outside, and sometimes can get baited by coverages into throwing the ball into harm's way.  He is another high risk QB who is willing to break a few eggs to make an omelette in the sense that he knows he needs to score 35-40 points to win, and it might require a INT or two to get that done.  He loves to use his feet, but like Robert Griffin III, he might not have the frame to handle the beating and already, like Griffin, enters the league with prior ACL history.   He takes chances and risks the ball without the biggest gun in the league, so these are issues that a team will have to accept.  But, it never kept him from dealing with everything college football could throw at him, including Nick Saban's best.
Watson is up on Tier 1 for me with Trubisky and above the others at this point.  

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