It’s clearer than ever that Watson is no dummy. By now he knows exactly which teams are drafting in the top slots this coming April. So no doubt he’ll be searching for any and all possible ways to impress them. Turns out he’s already off to a head start in regards to the Bears, calling up one of their former players to help prepare for the NFL.
#Clemson QB Deshaun Watson said he has not decided if he will attend Senior Bowl. Will train for the draft in California with Jordan Palmer.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 12, 2017
Palmer served as a backup quarterback in Chicago during the 2013 season when Jay Cutler was injured and Josh McCown was the starter. He’s had a reputation for being highly intelligent with deep knowledge of the quarterback position and how it’s played. He has worked with the EXOS facility, established by former college and NFL coach Terry Shea to help college prospects prepare for the NFL.
Among their list of clients include Matthew Stafford, Robert Griffin III, Sam Bradford and Blake Bortles. Palmer is universally respected for his ability to teach the position, getting young men ready for the advanced mechanics, fundamentals and verbiage they’re likely to see at the NFL level.
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“I played in five NFL offenses and learned five systems. I have taken the universal concepts, universal protections and formations that you will find in any NFL offense, and I built an offense. I am installing it, not just to learn the offense, but to teach them how to learn an offense. What you don’t do when you are learning an offense is stare at the playbook and try to memorize it.”
In this manner Watson is showing he’s not a fool. One of the top drawbacks draft analysts will reference about him for the next four months is how he thrived in a spread offense at Clemson. Such schemes carry a certain stigma in the pros. It’s felt unless he can learn to play under center, use proper footwork and read a defense he’ll never have success.
With the Senior Bowl coming up and the Bears set to coach one of the teams involved, it would be quite the first impression if he understood certain aspects of the position he wasn’t taught in college. Not a bad plan if that’s how it plays out. The game takes place on January 28th, practices start the 24th.
He has until then to figure out his next step.
