Chicago Bears Daily 2017 NFL Draft Prospect: Clemson QB Deshaun Watson
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is up next as we continue to look at possible Chicago Bears 2017 NFL Draft targets.
We kicked off our Chicago Bears daily 2017 NFL Draft target series yesterday with a look at Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. Allen is a great option for the Bears at number three, but he is far from the only prospect who should be considered. Today, we are going to look at another strong option.
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The Chicago Bears have an obvious need at the quarterback position. My personal preference is for the Bears to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo of the New England Patriots. Garoppolo is a franchise quarterback in the making who is worth the high asking price. Giving up the third pick would be an over-pay, but the Bears should undoubtedly make Garoppolo a major priority.
That being said, there will be a lot of competition for Garoppolo’s services. If the Bears cannot swing a trade for Garoppolo, they should specifically target Deshaun Watson with the third overall pick.
Watson has been one of the best players in college football the past two seasons at Clemson. In 38 career games, Watson is a 67-percent passer for 10,168 yards, 90 touchdowns and only 32 interceptions. He led Clemson to a National Championship appearance in 2015 and brought home the title for the team as a junior in 2016.
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Make no mistake about it, Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of college football. However, that does not necessarily mean NFL success.
There are questions about Watson for the next level. His arm strength is above average at best and his accuracy is a bit inconsistent. Both of those are obvious concerns, but the positives heavily outweigh the negatives.
First, Watson is an incredibly athletic player for the quarterback position. He does an incredible job of picking up yards with his legs and has a knack for knowing when to run. Watson 4.4 yards per carry average in college and reached pay-dirt 26 times on the ground. His speed and athleticism is a weapon and will translate to the next level.
Watson does not have the biggest arm, but I think the concerns about his accuracy have been over-blown. He does not throw a great deep ball, but Watson typically hits all of his receivers in stride in the short to intermediate passing game. Watson shows ideal ball placement a majority of the time. In particular, Watson is a magician on the back shoulder throw. He shows elite recognition and ball placement on those throws.
How many times do NFL quarterbacks chuck it deep anyway? His deep ball issues are not a huge deal in my eyes.
Watson has all of the raw skills to succeed at the next level, but that is just the start of it. He is a great leader and an extremely tough football player. Watson willed his team to victory multiple times and always seemed to come through in the clutch. As far as the intangibles go, Watson gets an A+. At the quarterback position, that is absolutely huge.
Deshaun Watson is undoubtedly a franchise quarterback in the making. He has all of the skills to be star at the next level, and appears to be there mentally as well. If he is available at number three, the Chicago Bears could do much worse than Watson.
Next: 2017 NFL Draft: Trade Down Ideas for Bears
Check in tomorrow as we profile East Carolina wide receiver Zay Jones, another possible 2017 NFL Draft target for the Chicago Bears,