Deshaun Watson impresses Mel Kiper, but not enough for Chicago Bears at three

Draft guru Mel Kiper glows on Deshaun Watson, but doesn’t see the Chicago Bears taking him in the first round.

Deshaun Watson, the quarterback of the National Champion Clemson Tigers, impressed draft guru Mel Kiper. However, that impression only goes so far. While some watched his performance in the title game and want him in a Chicago Bears uniform, Kiper thinks it doesn’t make sense.

Kiper projects the first quarterback taken to be Mitch Trubisky at two to the San Francisco 49ers. He projects defensive end Myles Garrett as the top pick, going to the Cleveland Browns.

“That would be a quantum leap for me to go from the early to mid-second all the way up to one, two or three,” Kiper said in a teleconference Thursday.

“He can throw the football,” Kiper continued. “You look at him when he moves around, he threw better late in the year from the pocket. He’s a great kid. He’ll work hard, which is the critical part of the whole equation. He certainly has the arm to make the throws you want. Is he accurate enough from the pocket? That’s the big question.”

Kiper ranks Watson 36th on the prospect list. His performance against Alabama may give him a boost, though. Even though he gives Watson a second-round grade, he concedes that the great title game will boost his stock. He feels Watson goes in the top-ten, possibly 10th to the Buffalo Bills.

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“It has happened before,” Kiper said. “And I have (Watson) at 10, so if you have him at 10 on Jan. 19, come late April, yeah, I guess he could be up that high.

“Quarterbacks get forced up, so is there some risk/reward there? Yeah. It depends (on) what kind of grade Buffalo ultimately has on Watson, but I do think he’s going to go somewhere in the top 10 to 15. If it’s not Buffalo, it’ll be somebody else.”

I understand the clamor for a quarterback, but I don’t see the Bears grabbing a quarterback early. Head coach John Fox’s recipe for rebuilding teams is getting a pass rusher. That’s where he got Julius Peppers and Von Miller. That’s where the Bears will go

The Bears will pick up a quarterback, but I feel it won’t be until the third round at the earliest. Now, if Watson is there then that’s a different story.

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What do you think? If Watson is available in the third round, do you pull the trigger and draft him? Let us know in the comments section.