We’ve arrived at the very top of the list. These two guys should be no secret at this point, as I’ve made it clear since November at least that not only are they they two best quarterback prospects in this draft, they are the only two that could possibly be day one starters. And, frankly, the skill level between No. 2 and No. 1 is pretty wide as well.
If you want to recap my list, you can read Part One and Part Two of my NFL Draft Quarterback Preamble. And then check out Part One of my NFL Draft QB Rankings, Part Two. Part Three and Part Four.
Here’s a quick rundown of how we got here; 10 – C.J. Beathard, Iowa. 9 – Jared Evans, Virginia Tech. 8 – Nathan Peterman, Pittsburgh. 7 – Davis Webb, California. 6 – Chad Kelly, Ole Miss. 5 – DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame. 4 – Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech. 3- Brad Kaaya, Miami.
2. Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina, 6-3, 220 pounds
68 percent completions, 3,748 yards, 30 touchdowns, six interceptions, 308 rushing yards, eight touchdowns
Just looking at Trubisky’s tape, it’s easy to see why scouts, general managers and coaches are in love with him. If you were carving an NFL quarterback out of marble, he’d look like Trubisky. From his arm strength, to his accuracy to his footwork in the pocket, he looks pro ready.
But we all know that’s not all that matters if you’ve been reading all my quarterback work up until now. The good thing is, Trubisky passes all my tests too but one, and I’ll talk about that as we go down the line. The first check mark is clutch. Trubisky led an undermanned UNC team to an 8-5 record this season and even in losses, had the Tarheels in the game right until the final gun. Only one loss, a 34-3 defeat at the hands of Virginia Tech, looks bad on his resume. The rest, even the bowl game against Stanford, put down a solid tape. North Carolina lost that game 25-23 after a failed two-point conversion attempt with 25 seconds to go in the game. And on that play Trubisky was sacked after a three-man jailbreak. He never had a chance to get the pass off.
Trubisky ended Florida State’s 22-game home win streak with a 31-of-28, 405 yard, three touchdown game with no picks. He threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-13 win over Miami at Miami with no inteceptions. Clutch.
When it comes to pass reads, Trubisky is as good as it gets. His head is on a swivel through every step of his drop back and he fires the ball out when his back foot hits. The big weakness in his game right now is his pocket movement and that’s just because he’s deceptively athletic. Against college rushers, he can spin out like Russell Wilson, but those will always be sacks in the NFL. It’s a bad habit and one he’ll have to fix.
Trubisky is pinpoint accurate and can really run when he has to. He looks like a Matt Ryan with wheels and that’s probably why the San Francisco 49ers will take him with the No. 2 pick regardless of who else falls to them. He just fits Kyle Shanahan’s system too well.
Ideal situation: San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets
1. DeShuan Watson, Clemson, 6-3, 215 pounds
67 completion percentage, 4,593 yards, 41 touchdowns, 17 interceptions
Watson is, hands down, the best quarterback prospect in this draft and the fourth best of the last six drafts. I would put him there behind Andrew Luck (1), Marcus Mariota (2), Dak Prescott (3) and that’s it. He works magic on the football field and the Cleveland Browns would be absolute fools to pass him up with the No. 1 pick. I don’t care what the mock draft you just read tries to tell you. If Hue Jackson and GM Sashi Brown turn in any other name than Watson’s with that pick they should both be fired on the spot.
Tick off everything. You want clutch? Pick a game. Let’s start with two consecutive national championship games against Alabama. Playing against defensive players that would (or will) all be drafted into the NFL in the first three rounds of two straight drafts, Watson carved them up twice. Including the game winner just a few months ago.
In two games against the Tide with it all on the line, Watson completed 825 yards worth of passes, threw seven touchdowns, ran for one touchdown and threw just one interception. What the hell else does the kid have to do?
When reporters asked Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney about Watson he compared him to Michael Jordan and it’s apt. What people don’t realize when they talk about Sam Bowie getting drafted over Jordan in that 1984 NBA Draft, there was another guy picked ahead of him too; Hakeem Olajuwon.
Bowie was a bust, taken at No. 2 by the Portland Trailblazers and he’s the one that sticks out. Olajuwon was one of the best players of all time too, a Hall of Famer who lead the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA titles in the 1990s.
But he was still no Michael Jordan. And the fact that Olajuwon only won those titles the years Jordan was “retired” should not be lost on anyone. Trubisky is the Olajuwon of this draft. DeShone Kizer is Bowie and Watson is Jordan and he’s sitting right there, begging the Cleveland Browns to take him. He’s Lebron part 2, Cleveland, and once again he’s fallen right into your lap. Don’t be stupid.
Ideal situation: Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills
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