College Football

Deshaun Watson's NFL Draft Stock after National Championship

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 2:06 a.m. ET

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Fansided, Tyler Brooke/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

After pulling off the incredible win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the national championship, Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson’s draft stock is as high as ever.

Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson has become a college football legend after pulling off the upset in a thrilling national championship victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now that his college career is over, Watson’s NFL draft stock has never been higher.

Watson was unbelievable in the 35-31 victory. Despite going against the top-ranked Alabama defense, Watson torched the Crimson Tide by completing 36 of his 56 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns while adding another 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

The Clemson QB showed tremendous poise and toughness in the game. He was thrown around and took a couple of big shots from Alabama’s Reuben Foster (including a possible targeting foul that went unnoticed), but he stayed composed and avoided throwing any interceptions while also leading his team on a game-winning drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with one second remaining.

Heading into Monday night’s game, Watson had solidified himself, at least to me, as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in this draft class. North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky has also been in the conversation, but a rough performance in the Sun Bowl against Stanford hurt his stock in a big way.

Now, there’s no question that Watson is the top QB. His film has been inconsistent, but Watson has some exceptional arm talent with the ability to make all of the throws. He’s a mobile quarterback who can extend plays with his legs and has the intangibles with plenty of leadership experience as made evident by his back-to-back appearances in the national championship.

My biggest problem with Watson is that he will often stare down his No. 1 receiver rather than go through his progressions. If the No. 1 guy isn’t open, he’ll either try to force it or take off and run down the field. That can lead to some ugly interceptions, and he’ll have a harder time taking off with his legs at the next level.

Despite the inconsistency and problems with turnovers, Watson showed on Monday night that he can make any throw at the next level. Here’s a great example of the kind of touch he can put on his deep passes, which NFL scouts will love.

Now, NFL teams will be wondering how early Watson will go in the draft. The Cleveland Browns have the No. 1 overall pick and love to take quarterbacks, but given the state of the team, they’d be much better off trying to rebuild their team before finding a long-term QB by taking a defensive prospect like Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett or Alabama’s Jonathan Allen.

Even if the Browns don’t pull the trigger on Watson, a team is going to take him shortly after, whether that’s the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 2 pick or even the Chicago Bears with the No. 3 pick. The New York Jets could also be looking to trade up.

Regardless of where he goes, Watson has solidified his status as this year’s top quarterback prospect, and you can be certain that a team is going to fall in love with him and take him early in the first round.

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