Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson - Legit alternative to Jared Goff in 2017?

Originally posted by TheBlueHell:

lol major bust signals

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/4/12/15137408/deshaun-watson-clemson-nfl-draft-2017-quarterbacks

From the link:

"I'm just saying: if you want to totally stump a college fan, tell her or him you'd rather have UNC's 2015 backup QB than this all-time college legend."


I'd rather have UNC's 2015 backup QB than this all-time college legend.

Originally posted by TheBlueHell:
lol major bust signals

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/4/12/15137408/deshaun-watson-clemson-nfl-draft-2017-quarterbacks

Haha someones triggered.

Originally posted by Lobo49er:

4 QBs I'd rather have: Biscuit, Evans, Mahomes, Webb. All threw harder than Watson. Let's check out their 2016 Interceptions to Attempts ratio (how many picks did they throw relative to the number of passes they threw in total - smaller the number the better):

Biscuit: .013
6 int
447 att

Evans: .019
8 int
422 att

Mahomes: .017
10 int
591 att

Webb: .019
12 int
620 att

Watson: .030
17 int
579 att

Which one of these is not like the other?

He will be a pick machine in the NFL. He does not have an NFL arm.

What is Tom Brady's velocity?

Originally posted by frenchmov:

What is Tom Brady's velocity?

Combine ball velocity only goes back to 2008. In 2015, he was throwing the ball > 60mph.



But if you're suggesting we draft Watson in the 6th round, I'm in.

Originally posted by Lobo49er:

Combine ball velocity only goes back to 2008. In 2015, he was throwing the ball > 60mph.



But if you're suggesting we draft Watson in the 6th round, I'm in.

1. So a then-38 year old Tom Brady was throwing the ball with more velocity than any of the players in this draft? Lol ok

2. What does draft position matter? The point was basing your opinion of a QB on ball velocity isn't a great way to evaluate

Originally posted by frenchmov:

Originally posted by Lobo49er:

Combine ball velocity only goes back to 2008. In 2015, he was throwing the ball > 60mph.



But if you're suggesting we draft Watson in the 6th round, I'm in.

1. So a then-38 year old Tom Brady was throwing the ball with more velocity than any of the players in this draft? Lol ok

2. What does draft position matter? The point was basing your opinion of a QB on ball velocity isn't a great way to evaluate

1. Yep.

2. I didn't just base my opinion on him being an NFL pick machine solely because of his atrocious velocity. I'm basing it on two facts: he has a noodle arm, and he was a college pick machine.

Originally posted by Lobo49er:

Combine ball velocity only goes back to 2008. In 2015, he was throwing the ball > 60mph.



But if you're suggesting we draft Watson in the 6th round, I'm in.

Thanks for finding this. Guys in this thread were trying to tell me Brady had a weak arm and threw in the low 50s.

He clearly lasers those balls in there on most throws.

Originally posted by GhostOfBaalke:

Originally posted by Lobo49er:

Combine ball velocity only goes back to 2008. In 2015, he was throwing the ball > 60mph.



But if you're suggesting we draft Watson in the 6th round, I'm in.

Thanks for finding this. Guys in this thread were trying to tell me Brady had a weak arm and threw in the low 50s.

He clearly lasers those balls in there on most throws.

Umm whoever thinks Brady has a weak arm I guess didn't see the game this year vs the niners were he maneuvers in the pocket avoiding a sack steps up and throws a laser to the rookie WR from Georgia, forget his name..but yeah go watch that and tell me his arm is weak lol

Alex Smith has a noodle arm and he is elite

Noodle arm jesus Christ some of you are ridiculously stupid. It's clear you don't watch any actual college football so by all means rely on random Twitter dudes.

From NFL.com last summer in an article about strong armed college QBs...

Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Watson's all-around game is what makes him such a special talent. His arm is an impressive piece of the overall package of tools. After watching Watson in the national championship game last season, NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks, a former scout, heaped praise on the Clemson QB. "As a deep-ball thrower, Watson shows outstanding arm strength and range on vertical routes. He easily drops the ball 'down the chute' on throws down the boundary, but also displays the zip and velocity to fire the ball between defenders on seam routes along the hashes." Watson led all Power Five QBs last season with 18 touchdowns on throws of 20 or more yards.

Oh hey....from Pro Football Focus last summer:

Let's look at why Watson should have an excellent 2016 campaign:

1. He excels on downfield throws

Watson's late-season exploits included a number of long touchdown throws, with the QB consistently making big plays in the clutch. Overall, Watson was accurate on 47.5 percent of his deep targets, throwing for 1,196 yards and 18 touchdowns on passes of 20-plus yards. Only Bowling Green's Matt Johnson found paydirt on more occasions in 2015. Watson was a little aggressive on occasion, throwing seven picks on deep targets, but he made many more positive plays than mistakes, especially late in the year.

Watson's arm talent is very impressive (more on that below), but he isn't just a fastball thrower, as he shows impressive touch down the field. Clemson's postseason run started in the ACC Championship game, with Watson leading the team over North Carolina in a shootout. The play below illustrates the type of plays he can make down the field. The location on this deep sideline throw is perfect.



Watson flashed his downfield touch consistently over the final few games. He doesn't try to throw the ball too hard, instead putting enough air under it to allow his receiver to get into position. He can also throw with touch to the intermediate level, particularly in the red zone, and at all levels he shows the ability to take heat off the ball when required.

4. He has the arm strength to fit throws into tight windows

As much as Watson relies on his ability to put touch on the football, his complete skill set makes him a dominant quarterback. He can avoid the risk involved in tight windows with the kind of heat most quarterbacks are unable to achieve, and it allows him to throw late against zone coverage on occasion.

And this guy destroys this arm strength crap as well as "pick machine" b******t:

https://www.fanragsports.com/nfl/time-stop-overthinking-clemson-qb-deshaun-watson/amp/

So, you're telling us that analysts had mostly positive things to say about a College QB before he was draft-eligible, but there's more criticism on him now that he's entered the draft analysis machine? Crazy. I bet that's never happened before.

Is it possible that what they thought was him reigning in a strong arm to throw deep passes with touch was actually a successful accommodation he employed to overcome a slight deficiency in arm strength? And wouldn't having a slightly weaker arm explain why he was significantly less successful throwing between the hashes, where defenders are more plentiful and windows are smaller?

I don't think anyone's saying that he can't win in the NFL, but he clearly would not thrive in every scheme, and a coach would have to work around a physical deficiency that Watson may or may not ever grow out of.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

So, you're telling us that analysts had mostly positive things to say about a College QB before he was draft-eligible, but there's more criticism on him now that he's entered the draft analysis machine? Crazy. I bet that's never happened before.

Is it possible that what they thought was him reigning in a strong arm to throw deep passes with touch was actually a successful accommodation he employed to overcome a slight deficiency in arm strength? And wouldn't having a slightly weaker arm explain why he was significantly less successful throwing between the hashes, where defenders are more plentiful and windows are smaller?

I don't think anyone's saying that he can't win in the NFL, but he clearly would not thrive in every scheme, and a coach would have to work around a physical deficiency that Watson may or may not ever grow out of.

How did this "physical deficiency" only manage to come to the forefront in a limited amount of snaps at the underwear Olympics where the same player oh by the way looked the best by far of any QB prospects while throwing?

Are you saying his arm strength, which was lauded on NFL.com and PFF during the summer, somehow became a liability while he crushed opposition again all season long en route to a national championship where he sliced and diced a minor league NFL defense again both with Bama and Ohio St in the playoff? Does that make any kind of sense at all?