Cleveland Browns

Browns reportedly eyeing Deshaun Watson in NFL Draft

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:44 a.m. ET

Fansided, Greg Patuto/Fansided

Despite not playing in the Senior Bowl, the Browns still have their eyes on Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Is it the right fit?

Just two weeks ago, quarterback Deshaun Watson led Clemson into the fourth quarter of the National Championship game trailing Alabama 24-14. He then put up 21 points to lead a comeback no one thought was possible. After winning it all, Watson has his sights on the NFL Draft.

Despite skipping the Senior Bowl, it is possible that Watson could go from a 14-1 championship team to a 1-15 team that has not made the playoffs since 2002.

“There are going to be other guys that are not participating either, so I won’t hold it against him,” Browns coach Hue Jackson told Cleveland.com when asked about Watson skipping the Senior Bowl. “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. He’s still a draftable player, there’s still a process we have to go through to evaluate him and see if he can fit here with the Cleveland Browns.”

NFL.com reported that the Browns asked Watson to play in this game but he declined. He would have been playing for the South team which the Browns are coaching. Watson may be on the Browns radar but are they on his?

All players say that it doesn’t matter which team takes them when they are drafted. But in the their honest minds, they have preferences. The Browns don’t seem likely to be a preferred team for a quarterback considering all of the names they have cycled through since becoming an NFL franchise once more in 1999.

The Browns hold the first and the 12th-overall picks in this year’s draft. It would be wise of them to stay away from a quarterback with the first pick, no matter if it’s Watson, DeShone Kizer or Mitch Trubisky. There is no rookie quarterback that will take this historically bad Browns team and make them a contender in the near future.

The Browns need to draft the best football player. The smart pick would be either Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett or Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. Both are universally rated as better than any of the quarterback prospects.

It’s time for the Browns to focus on building a team and stop worrying wasting all their energy finding the right quarterback who will inevitably fail without quality support.