QB Watson under draft scope … Clemson junior QB Deshaun Watson was up to some of his old tricks last night when he lead the Tigers to convincing 26-7 road win over Georgia Tech. Watson, who had completed only 57% of his pass attempts in a sluggish start through the Tigers first two games of the year, hit on 32 of 48 pass attempts for over 300 yards and a couple of scores in the win over the Yellow Jackets. Despite Watson’s solid performance against Tech we just weren’t convinced we were watching a future NFL first round draft pick. Not that there isn’t a lot to like about Watson’s game; he’s a terrific dual-threat college QB who can escape trouble in the pocket and throws extremely well on the run. Watson also does a nice job finding the open receiver when running the spread and gets the ball out quickly and accurately on underneath routes. However, Watson also needs something of a windup to get the ball downfield and there seems to be an awful lot of air under his deeper throws which can be hit or miss when it comes to accuracy. There are also questions about Watson’s size; he’s listed at 6-2, 205 and looks more like a slight WR than a pocket passer. Watson may also have a steep learning curve when he gets to the NFL as it does not appear he’s asked to much in the way of reading defenses or going through progressions. That said, you can’t teach his natural athletic ability, instincts and intangibles so we’ll leave the final decision to pro scouts, but it certainly won’t be a surprise if Wason grades out as more of a late first or early second rounder behind bigger guys like Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and/or Brad Kaaya of Miami who have stronger arms. Stay tuned!
