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Heading into the 2016-17 college football season, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is easily one of the most tantalizing NFL prospects.
A threat to beat teams with his arm or his legs, Watson got increasingly better throughout the 2015-16 campaign, leading the Tigers to the national championship before dropping nearly 500 total yards (405 passing, 73 rushing) in a loss against Alabama, one of the best defenses in the nation.
Not only is Watson–who has most of his offense back in 2016–a front-runner for the Heisman, he’s a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in April.
Pro Football Focus’ latest mock draft sent Watson to the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 pick.
Same goes for USA Today’s Luke Easterling.
Sports Illustrated‘s big board ranks him as the No. 2 overall prospect, behind only Texas A&M explosive defensive end Myles Garrett.
As Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller added, it’s Watson and Miami’s Brad Kaaya in a battle for the spot of top QB prospect:
The gap between Deshaun Watson and Brad Kaaya is very small. I like both as top 10 players right now.
Basically, Watson is #good.
Nevertheless, according to NFL.com’s Charles Davis, Lance Zierlein and Chase Goodbread, not all NFL personnel are sold.
“There is so much talk about Deshaun Watson being a franchise quarterback, but that just tells me that nobody has seen the tape on him,” said one AFC executive. “His accuracy is just OK and he’s not a great decision-maker. Get him out of that offense and he could get lost for a while.”
Coming out of an up-tempo, spread offense, Watson will always face questions about his ability as a pure pocket passer, from his footwork to his ability to progress through his reads to his accuracy.
Then again, those criticisms are only one (very small) side of the story. On the other end of the spectrum, you have NFL executives comparing him to everyone from Marcus Mariota to Aaron Rodgers.
“Aaron Rodgers looked very similar when he was coming out of Cal. They have similar size, arm strength and the ability to extend plays with their feet.”
Ultimately, Watson’s pros far out-weigh the cons. After seeing what the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles gave up to acquire Jared Goff and Carson Wentz last year, Watson’s stock as an early first-round pick appears extremely safe.