A player who could start at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 has declared for the NFL Draft, according to Greenville Online.
Clemson’s Deshaun Watson is the most proven of the quarterbacks expected to be selected in the first round and the junior is putting his name in the hat. Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, Miami’s Brad Kaaya and North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky are also underclassmen prospects who have gained steam.
On the season, Watson has thrown for 2,497 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He has a career 66.7 completion percentage, plus 1,690 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns in three seasons. He became the first D-1 player to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in 2015. Clemson is 33-4 in three seasons with Watson leading the show, arguably the most dominant stretch in program history.
An elusive athlete, Watson is still much more of a pocket passer than an scrambler. His accuracy may be his best trait. There are some concerns with his frame (6-foot-2, 210 pounds), and other draft experts are wavering on him, but I’m sold on Watson’s arm talent. He could be a legitimate franchise quarterback in the NFL.
There’s a 26-27-60 formula that can solve a lot of quarterbacks prior the draft: Get a 26 on the Wonderlic test, start 27 career college games and complete 60 percent of your passes and you almost always turn out to be a productive NFL player. Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo and Matt Stafford are on that list. Watson has already met two of the criteria.
Most mock drafts have the Cleveland Browns selecting Texas A&M defensive lineman Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick. Depending on how the NFL combine goes, Watson truly could be the No. 2 player on draft boards for several teams.
Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick and Christian Ponder are all scheduled to hit the free agent market after this season. Both Gabbert and Kaepernick are completing less than 60 percent of their passes for Chip Kelly in 2016.
KNBR.com will keep you posted all offseason on the 49ers’s search for a quarterback. A slew of veteran options could emerge after the season.
