Despite capping his career in impressive fashion, Deshaun Watson needs to showcase his skills in the Senior Bowl
Deshaun Watson just capped off one of the greatest individual collegiate careers in recent memory with a College Football Playoff National Championship victory over Alabama. Now, he’ll set his sights on the 2017 NFL Draft. One decision looming for Watson, before the NFL Draft Combine, his pro day or individual workouts, is whether or not he should play in this year’s Senior Bowl on January 28. He is not a senior, but after graduating and receiving his degree in just three years at Clemson University he is believed to be the first ever true junior invited to play in the game, per NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread. Such an opportunity rarely, if ever, presents itself for players like him, so he needs to take advantage.
After a stellar sophomore season that ended in a heartbreaking championship game loss to the same Crimson Tide, many projected Watson to be a top five pick, if not the top pick, for the 2017 NFL Draft when he would become eligible. Now, after some accuracy concerns have creeped into the heads of some pundits, he is projected to be the second, third, or even fourth quarterback off the board behind guys like UNC’s Mitch Trubisky, Notre Dame’s Deshone Kizer and Miami’s Brad Kaaya. Playing a good game in the pro-style offense introduced at the Senior Bowl rather than Clemson’s up-tempo spread could quell some of those concerns and get his stock trending in the right direction.
In a draft with several teams at the top needing a quarterback, there is certainly the potential for a guy like Watson to go in the top few picks. At No. 1 overall, the Browns need just about everything, and with picks No. 2 and No. 6, the 49ers and Jets respectively need an answer at the position. At the third spot, the Bears, who have been rumored to be ready to move on from longtime signal caller Jay Cutler, could use a long-term fix since Matt Barkley is probably not that. There are plentiful opportunities to go high in the first round for Watson if he impresses the right team. This year’s game is coached by the staffs of the Browns and the Bears, so he has the chance to impress potential future coaches up close and personal.
Watson wouldn’t be the first quarterback to improve his stock with an impressive showing in the Senior Bowl. Just last year, two of the top rookie quarterbacks in the NFL today had stellar performances that caused their names to carry more weight in the draft conversation.
Dak Prescott, the 2016 game’s MVP, was not projected to play his natural position out of Mississippi State. Since he was a stellar athlete but lacked many of the intangibles pro scouts look for in a quarterback, many figured he would slot in as a tight end or somewhere else on the roster. Instead, he was picked in the fourth round by the Cowboys and entered the season as their outright backup behind Tony Romo. When Romo went down with injury, rather than sign or trade for a new player like the Vikings with Sam Bradford, Dallas rolled with the rookie. And, well … we all know how that turned out.
Carson Wentz is another name who stands out from last year’s Senior Bowl. In ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s 2016 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 released on January 14 of last year, he slotted Wentz at 21st overall to the Texans. He was projected to be the third quarterback off the board behind Cal’s Jared Goff and Memphis’ Paxton Lynch. After a great performance in the Senior Bowl got his name out there, his stock continued to rise all the way through draft day, when he was picked up at second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was the starter for the Eagles all throughout 2016, and while he went through some typical rookie struggles, he showed a lot of promise and made the Eagles believe they had found their quarterback of the future.
Those are just two names from 2016, and there are countless more success stories spurred on after playing in the Senior Bowl. Should he elect to play, Watson having a game like Prescott and Wentz is more of a likelihood than a mere possibility. From conference championships to New Year’s Six bowl games to National Championship games, Watson has always played his best on the biggest stages. When the pressure is on him to perform, he shows out rather than just showing up. If he plays and feels like he needs to have a good game in order to help secure a top draft slot, there is a very good chance he shows what he is fully capable of.
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Watson has a series of choices in his future before hearing his name called in the NFL Draft. Some of them will be simple, some of them will not. The first of those decisions is whether or not to accept his invitation to the Senior Bowl. If he takes the time to survey the draft landscape and the event’s history, the choice becomes much more clear. Deshaun Watson needs to play in the Senior Bowl at the end of this month. If he does and puts on a show, the benefits will make his decision more than worth it.