Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson is wisely going out on top, after playing the half of his life in Monday night’s thrilling 35-31 National Championship win over Alabama.
Watson finished the game with 420 yards (3 TD, 0 INT), and helped the Tigers outscore the Crimson Tide 28-17 in the second half en route to victory.
And it now seems that he’s “going out with a bang,” and declaring for the 2017 NFL Draft, according to Mike Griffith of SECCountry.com.
#Clemson QB Deshaun Watson: "It's time for me to go, end it with a bang … 3 years kinda flew by."
— MikeGriffith32 (@MikeGriffith32) January 10, 2017
This news should come as a surprise to no one. After playing well in back-to-back national championship game appearances—winning one of them—against NFL-caliber defenses, it’s time for Watson to cash in at the professional level.
He may not have won the Heisman Trophy, due to Lamar Jackson’s numbers, but Watson was the best quarterback in college football with the game on the line this year, and that’s a trait NFL teams will value. That should really help boost his draft stock, which was fairly high to begin with.
One thing’s for sure: In a draft class that is particularly weak at quarterback, Watson likely cemented himself as a first-rounder. However, because of his struggles with accuracy at times, how early in that round is the big question that will draw a lot of discussion over the coming months.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
