Expectations on where Deshaun Watson will land in the 2017 NFL Draft are all over the map. Some believe he has the potential to be the top pick in April’s draft while others expect him to slip out of the first round.
Clemson honored Watson on Senior Day despite the fact he is a a true junior, a nod to the fact that he will play his last college game in the 2017 National Championship. Watson has already completed his degree at Clemson.
Heavy has Watson being selected by the Chicago Bears with the third pick in our latest mock draft.
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay believes Watson will be selected outside of the first round. McShay is down on the 2017 quarterback class and has North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky as the only quarterback with first-round potential.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has the Buffalo Bills selecting Watson with 10th pick. “Watson is the most pro-ready of all the quarterbacks in this class. With his accuracy and mobility, he can carve up defenses. And Watson will know how to get the most out of former Clemson teammate Sammy Watkins at wide receiver,” Miller writes in his latest mock draft.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who is a former NFL scout, sees similarities in Watson and Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. Jeremiah writes on NFL.com.
“He put on a show against the best defense in CFB (Alabama) in the national championship game.
With so many eyes trained on him after the way he performed last year, we focused on a lot of his mistakes this season instead of appreciating the overall success he’s had at Clemson. He’s played some of his best football at end of this season. He needs to continue to improve his decision making, which has been an issue at times this year. He reminds me a lot of Marcus Mariota when he was at Oregon. Mariota was a more dynamic runner and more crisp as a passer, though.
One of the things I love about Watson is that every evaluator I talk to who’s visited Clemson says he’s a special leader and teammate.”
If Watson can have a similar performance to last year against Alabama for the second straight title game, he will enter the pre-draft process with plenty of buzz. By the time the dust settles, there are too many teams at the beginning of the draft that need quarterbacks to see Watson go past the top 10.
