QB Prospect Discussion: Deshaun Watson, Clemson

College football and the NFL Draft

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wab
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malk wrote:
wab wrote:Every QB that has ever played has thrown that interception. More than once.
How many times has Watson thrown it in just a few years at college? That interception percentage petrifies me!
I could point to Drew Brees' INT percentage at Purdue too. I think they are very similar players.
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malk wrote:
wab wrote:Every QB that has ever played has thrown that interception. More than once.
How many times has Watson thrown it in just a few years at college? That interception percentage petrifies me!
I broke down all his INTs from 2015 and 2016... I think I wound up with 16 that were truly awful/not tipped.

Not great but I can live with it, Matt Ryan threw a ton of INTs too.
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G08 wrote:
malk wrote:
wab wrote:Every QB that has ever played has thrown that interception. More than once.
How many times has Watson thrown it in just a few years at college? That interception percentage petrifies me!
I broke down all his INTs from 2015 and 2016... I think I wound up with 16 that were truly awful/not tipped.

Not great but I can live with it, Matt Ryan threw a ton of INTs too.
Yup, I watched and read. Didn't like what I saw!

What kind of offences did they run in college? They were both significantly worse in TD:INT too which is another flag for me.
"I wouldn't take him for a conditional 7th. His next contract will pay him more than he could possibly contribute.".

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It's a spread system, mostly one-read (a lot of work is done pre-snap, changing plays/protections). It's not often that I have seen him make multiple reads, but that's due to the offense/pre-snap reads rather than a system like the Bears' where you are determining coverages pre-snap, adjusting for post-snap and based on that making your reads as you drop back.

It's why you'll see him scan pre-snap and see a cover 2 look and then post snap he'll look to the opposite side of the field and not realize they were in cover 6 so he winds up throwing an INT directly to the defender.

It will be an adjustment for him, for sure, but I'm of the opinion (hoping?) he can do it.


I'm sold on the size/speed/arm/intangibles, the big question they have to figure out is his smarts/football intelligence (which by all accounts has been reported to be very high).
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That's where I'm at. I'll take a guy with flaws and a high football IQ.
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malk
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Sorry, I meant Brees and Ryan, for comparison.
"I wouldn't take him for a conditional 7th. His next contract will pay him more than he could possibly contribute.".

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malk wrote:Sorry, I meant Brees and Ryan, for comparison.
Brees was in a spread as well IIRC... Ryan I'm not too sure.
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You know, Watson is a baller, period. He can make quick decisions and he can make most of the throws (has a little accuracy problem with the deep ball). He's been on the big stage and it wasn't to big for him. More so, he owned it. He does elevate his team. When I watch his film, I just can't shake the comparison to RG3. I feel he has the same athleticism but isn't as good of a pure passer. My fear is will Watson be able to protect himself? We all know RG3 couldn't. The poor guy couldn't even slide to save his life. I feel like he (just like RG3 was) is just to competitive to do so. With Watson's stature and adding in his competitiveness and lack to protect himself, I just don't see him lasting that long in the NFL. If we're talking a QB with the 3rd pick, I would have to pass on Watson. If the bears are looking for that type of QB, and are dead set on one with the 3rd pick, I feel the team would be better off in the long run with Kizer.
“Protect this fucking house, go all out, leave that shit out on the field, let’s have some fun, makes some plays baby ” Mitch Trubisky #believethesleeve
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Without ranking the three most hyped quarterbacks in the NFL draft, whom he knows from experience, North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren offered insight into Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson worth remembering for teams drafting in the top 10, like the Bears.

Not exactly known for being effusive, the former Northern Illinois coach gushed over the potential of a natural leader with 38 career starts who carried Clemson to a national title. To Doeren, believing in Watson is elementary.

"The intangibles he had, you can't coach that into a guy," Doeren told the Tribune. "If you're going to invest millions, invest in that guy's character because obviously Deshaun has enough tools to win. ... Look at (Cowboys rookie) Dak Prescott. People said he couldn't do certain things and the guy's intangibles were crazy. Personally, I'm taking a guy who is an experienced winner who has intangibles any day over some guy who hasn't done it a ton but looks good at the NFL combine."
In three victories against N.C. State, Watson completed 79 of 111 passes for 1,028 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception — a pick-six in a tight 24-17 Clemson win in October. But his skills weren't what stood out most.

Doeren: "The guy is so competitive. I have never been around him as a person, but he seems like he's got the heart of a champion. I was so impressed with him two years ago when he led the nation in deep-ball percentage. To be mobile, to have touch and timing, and be able to throw downfield the way he did, that's pretty incredible."

Should Watson's 32 career interceptions be a red flag?

Doeren: "I don't know about that. The one he threw in our game was bad judgment — our guy was flat-footed — but he gives his guys a chance to make plays. He definitely can put it where he has to put it ... back shoulder, wherever.''
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I believe the kids call this "dropping a dime"

[video][/video]
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Rusty Trombagent
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damn, that dime was positively matt barkley-esque.
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From what I have heard from the experts, this is the guy who has what it takes to be a top 5 pick and day 1 NFL starter. Everybody else is a late 1st or early 2nd round prospect.
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RustyTrombone wrote:damn, that dime was positively matt barkley-esque.
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Let's not get ahead of ourselves...
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ysleblanc wrote:From what I have heard from the experts, this is the guy who has what it takes to be a top 5 pick and day 1 NFL starter. Everybody else is a late 1st or early 2nd round prospect.
There's a solid argument for him from a leadership, football intelligence standpoint. He's got a good enough arm, he's athletic, he can extend and make plays with his feet. There is a lot to work with... the BIG question on him is if he can translate to an NFL system, which really is impossible for any of us to know.

I'd like to throw him to the wolves because I think he's the type of kid that it would speed up his development, rather than others that would fold and start trending toward shell-shock.
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I totally agree with him not participating in the Senior Bowl but, given this is the season for overthinking, does this hit his draft stock? Top prospects skip things because they can, this makes me feel a little bit that he can't.
"I wouldn't take him for a conditional 7th. His next contract will pay him more than he could possibly contribute.".

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Watson has a lot to prove to the people that think he's not a top prospect, even though he's being told he won't make it out of the top 5.

He's the Browns top rated QB's (according to articles) and if he does well at the combine, the Bears might not get a chance at him.
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malk wrote:I totally agree with him not participating in the Senior Bowl but, given this is the season for overthinking, does this hit his draft stock? Top prospects skip things because they can, this makes me feel a little bit that he can't.
I've read that GMs and scouts know that the QB isn't familiar with throwing to these WRs at the combine, but what they want to see is a QB who isn't afraid of the challenge. I think Watson saying that he will do everything will just add to the lure that follows this kid around.

I keep hearing Pace's comments "a player who elevates his program". Clemson hadn't beaten South Carolina in 5-6 years, and this kid plays on a torn ACL to ensure that they win. They haven't (hadn't) won a National Title since 1981 and he proceeds to end that drought as well.

I get the Tebow arguments (awfully lazy IMO), but this kid does a hell of a lot more in throwing the football. Can he become a true pocket passer? I don't know, he tends to bail pretty early when his first read isn't there, but how much of that is on the offense, too? I would expect an adjustment period, but really this offense should be tailored to what Watson does well. Let him throw on the move, sprinkle in some zone-read concepts for him, some run-pass options, and see where this thing goes.
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wab
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I don't get the Tebow comp at all. Tebow looked like he was throwing from a rocking chair.
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wab wrote:I don't get the Tebow comp at all. Tebow looked like he was throwing from a rocking chair.
I don't get it either, honestly.

"leader" "winner" "I don't know how to evaluate players so I just follow buzz words"

That's my guess :lol:
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G08 wrote:
wab wrote:I don't get the Tebow comp at all. Tebow looked like he was throwing from a rocking chair.
I don't get it either, honestly.

"leader" "winner" "I don't know how to evaluate players so I just follow buzz words"

That's my guess :lol:
If Tebow would have been fine with switching to TE, like they suggested at the combine, he may have gone in the 4th round but he'd probably still be in the NFL catching TDs.
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wab wrote:
G08 wrote:
wab wrote:I don't get the Tebow comp at all. Tebow looked like he was throwing from a rocking chair.
I don't get it either, honestly.

"leader" "winner" "I don't know how to evaluate players so I just follow buzz words"

That's my guess :lol:
If Tebow would have been fine with switching to TE, like they suggested at the combine, he may have gone in the 4th round but he'd probably still be in the NFL catching TDs.
Where did the Tebow comparison even start? I may not be the biggest fan of Watson, but he does have an NFL throwing motion, something Tebow never had and there was no way that was going to change. Tebow threw like Byron Leftwich threw, almost like a clock cycling a day.
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Byron Leftwich's release was immediate compared to Tebow.
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wab wrote:Byron Leftwich's release was immediate compared to Tebow.
His release was immediate but the motion normally started at about 4 on the dial
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the only lazy comparisons to tebow i've seen dont have anything to do with throwing motion? they're more about the whole "he's a winner, he elevates those around him" mythology surrounding tebow.
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Hey guys - so I wasn't there today but my buddy went down to the field and was able to see Watson do a workout with Jordan Palmer and Norv Turner. Wish I was there today to see him in action but I couldn't. I do have a couple of very short videos to share, check below.

Also, my friend mentioned that he thought Watson seemed to have an aura about him and more of a presence to him than Trubisky. Said he was very calm, cool and collected. Good throwing mechanics and good drops. He liked Watson a little more than Trubisky today because he seemed like he would know how to handle pressure and was very attentive to what the coaches were telling him. You could see him practicing all the details and fine tuning what they told him.

It was just one workout and Watson's workout was definitely different than Trubisky's so it's not a true comparison - we're talking about one workout in shorts with no pads on and no 260 pound OLB breathing down his neck. :)

Oh and he also said that Watson seemed like he was legit 6'3. He was standing next to Palmer who is 6'5 and wasn't that much shorter than him. That's all I got fellas - I know it's not that much and it's probably nothing you already didn't know - but nonetheless, it was a great opportunity that most of us don't get to experience - so I was happy to share it with all of you!

[video][/video]

[video][/video]
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Thanks man! Looks like he's been working on his drops a little bit, looks cleaner.

A legit 6'3" wouldn't surprise me, really all I want his him to be at or above 6022 (hell even Rodgers is 6020)
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Boing.
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I know its two 11 second videos. I am not a QB guru. However do his throwing mechanics look a lot different? Some better some not. His arm slot looked different there, and his back foot stayed closer to the earth. There is something about his throwing motion I don't like.
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mmmc_35 wrote:I know its two 11 second videos. I am not a QB guru. However do his throwing mechanics look a lot different? Some better some not. His arm slot looked different there, and his back foot stayed closer to the earth. There is something about his throwing motion I don't like.
At times it's a bit elongated:

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Needs to be cleaned up. I love the way Rodgers/Carr throw the ball. Brady too but... fuck that guy.
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