The Emergence of Deshaun Watson

The 2017 NFL Draft Class was filled with lots of talent. Many stars have already emerged as the top players in the NFL at their respective positions, and other stars are just waiting for their opportunity to show the world what they are made of. However, one position group that was not amazing this year was quarterbacks. While there were 3 mid-tier players and a slew of other lower level ones, only one quarterback really stood out to me in this draft class: Deshaun Watson. In this article, I will show you how this Clemson product is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL and how many scouts and analysts got the evaluation on him wrong before the NFL Draft.

In Deshaun Watson's 3 years at Clemson, he began his quest to show the world just how great he is. He took the starting job with ease at the beginning of his freshman season, setting school records in some of the first games he played. Unfortunately, he suffered various injuries shortly thereafter. However, he came back strong after offseason ACL surgery, and he led the Tigers to the Championship game the following two seasons. While in college ball, Watson racked up over 10,000 yards passing (with most of that coming after his injury riddled rookie year), 90 touchdowns and only 32 interceptions. Not only that, but his career passer rating as Clemson's starting quarterback was an astonishing 157.5. Under Watson's dominance, the Tigers won the Championship game in 2016 after losing in 2015. In both games, Watson showed off that he has one of the most underrated traits a quarterback can have: the clutch gene. His ability to play with authority and explosiveness under the prime time lights has really set Watson apart from other young quarterbacks in terms of maturity. Some of Watson's best games of his football career have been big prime time games, with his offensive MVP performance in the 2016 Championship game being the biggest.

When Deshaun Watson declared for the 2017 NFL Draft, he was subject to lots of criticism from professional scouts and analysts. One of the main critisisms against Watson was his throw speed. Some of Watson's ugliest interceptions in his college career came on passes he floated too much or passes that just didn't find the reciever in time. However, Watson would almost always correct his mistakes on the next drive, and by his final college season he had made the problem much less prevalent. Unfortunately, this criticism was a major contributor in the fall of his draft stock, and Watson could have suffered tremensely because of it. Another big knock against Watson was some of his decision making. While Watson's numbers throughout his career looked pretty, the number of times he made a bad mistake did not show up in the stat sheet, and that number was surprisingly high for a quarterback of his stature. Game film could be embarassing for the young quarterback at times, and NFL scouts were quick to pick up on that. However, the point that nobody talked about leading up to the draft was the fact that Watson's flaws could be corrected with proper coaching. As he has proven these past couple of weeks, he is a fast learner and is fully capable of taking the next step from college star to elite NFL quarterback.

At last came the draft. With Watson being listed under names like Mitch Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes on many teams' draft boards, nobody knew where he would end up. As the night commenced, the Chicago Bears made an overtrade to get Mitch Trubisky, a quarterback with limited experience as a starter. Other quarterback needy teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars went with stars at various other positions. Eventually, the 10th pick was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, who surprisingly selected Patrick Mahomes. Watson, who has proven he is the most gifted out of this quarterback class, slipped to the third quarterback taken. His facial expression was of devastation. However, the next pick by the Saints did not garner Watson's attention. Instead, he recieved a call from Bill O'Brien. The Houston Texans had traded up to draft Deshaun Watson at #12 overall, ensuring that no other team could snatch him. I'd be willing to bet the Texans' draft room was very happy about having drafted Watson as the third quarterback taken. As for Watson, his NFL landing spot ended up being the perfect destination for him to develop into an elite starter in the NFL.

Bill O'Brien has worked with many quarterbacks in his time as an NFL coach, most notably Tom Brady. However, before Watson, the front office of the Texans had never given O'Brien a promising prospect to work with. The various failed experiments at quarterback under the O'Brien regime were plentiful, including the likes of Brian Hoyer and Tom Savage. The difference this time around was that Deshaun Watson was a first round talent at a position that the Texans have never had stability at in their whole existence as a franchise. Bill O'Brien is known for getting the most out of quarterbacks, and he certainly helped Watson correct his mistakes over the offseason. However, with no action in a regular season game in the NFL, O'Brien made the decision to let Watson sit on the bench until the time was right. That plan was thrown out the window shortly thereafter when O'Brien benched Tom Savage in the first game of the 2017 NFL season in favor of Watson. Admittedly, his first couple performances looked pretty shaky, although there were definitely flashes of greatness. The main thing to take away from Watson's first 2 games is how he became much more confident as a passer, specifically managing the space in the pocket. Then, in week 3 against the New England Patriots, Watson had his breakout game. While he still lost (Rookie quarterbacks have never beaten Bill Belichick at Gillette Stadium), Watson exploded for over 300 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. In this game, Watson showed that he is not afraid to take shots downfield, has the discipline to make good decisions, and has that extra athleticism to make moves in the pocket or scramble if needed. Granted, it was against the league's worst defense, but Watson's confidence was soaring high after this game.

In week 4, Deshaun Watson continued his dominance of the league. Him and the Texans offense demolished the Tennesee Titans 57-14. Unlike the Patriots, the Titans are an up and coming team with a defense that stuffed other good offenses earlier in the year. However, this week was different, as Watson made them all look worse than the Patriots on Sunday. His stat line of 283 yards with 5 total touchdowns (4 passing and 1 rushing) doesn't tell the full story of why this game marked Watson's final step into becoming elite. Watson's reads were on point all afternoon, his ability to pick apart the defense was phenomenal, and his mobile ability was on full display. He even had protection all afternoon from a shaky offensive line, helping him make reads as plays developed. This game was arguably the best football game Deshaun Watson has ever played, and the NFL took note. Fans everywhere rushed to pick him up off waivers in fantasy leagues, analysts have been talking him up ever since Sunday, and the Texans players have praised Watson to the point of saying their quarterback woes are over. And, after 3 very convincing performances, I can agree. Watson has adapted quickly to the NFL, and his elite abilities make him some what of a better Cam Newton. While the Texans most likely won't score 57 points again, Watson will continue to be dominant in this league for a long time. He will only be better when Texans left tackle Duane Brown ends his contract hold out, and his defense will continue to help Watson in every way they can.

In conclusion, Deshaun Watson was and will be the best quarterback to come out of the 2017 NFL Draft. While names like Mitch Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes came before him, Watson was the best talent in the draft, and the stars alligned to put him in the perfect place to thrive in the NFL. Trubisky's lack of starter experience and Mahomes' tendancy to rush throws are not factors with Deshaun Watson. Instead, the championship pedigree, mobility, and overall talent the Texans drafted him for mark why he will see the most success in the NFL. While it has only been 4 weeks of his rookie season, Watson has shown that he will continue to be a beast in this league for years to come. The Houston Texans have finally found a long term answer at the most important position in football.