National Football League

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson declares for 2017 NFL Draft

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:44 p.m. ET

Fansided, Brad Berreman/Fansided

After leading Clemson to the national title Monday night, quarterback Deshaun Watson made an obvious decision to enter the 2017 NFL Draft.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson landed on the NFL radar with a big 2015 season, and despite a loss to Alabama in the national title game, a big performance (405 passing yards and four touchdowns) proved Watson could produce against a great defense.

After another big game against Alabama Monday night (463 total yards and four total touchdowns), in a win for Clemson, Watson declared for the 2017 NFL Draft.

Watson is one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2017 class, but there is a wide range of opinions on him. Some analysts think he’s a legitimate option for the Cleveland Browns at No. 1 overall, with the San Francisco 49ers (No. 2) and the Chicago Bears (No. 3) also holding top-five picks and in the market for a young quarterback.

Concerns about Watson’s size (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) and build are fairly well-founded, based on the history of slightly built signal callers that run a lot often struggling to stay healthy. But his polish as a pocket passer is another, highly subjective matter, and early evaluations are at both ends of the spectrum regarding Watson.

Playing against top defenses is good evaluation point for any college quarterback. So Watson’s success against a Crimson Tide defense laden with NFL-caliber talent in the last two national title games has to stand out, especially compared to fellow top quarterback prospects Mitch Trubisky and DeShone Kizer.

Watson has graduated from Clemson, so he’s been invited to and is eligible to participate in the Senior Bowl later this month. As of a few days ago, Watson was unsure if he’s heading to Mobile, Alabama for the event.

There’s a fine line between bolstering draft stock, and the chance of over-exposure to accentuate flaws by going to showcase pre-draft events. But Watson can start to make himself the No. 1 quarterback in this year’s draft class by going to the Senior Bowl, then dominating among an otherwise mediocre group at the position.