“Will the Bears draft Watson?” This is the question dominating the minds of Chicago Bears fans everywhere. Of course this is in reference to Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. The man who just vanquished Alabama in the national championship game. Who carried his team on a furious comeback against the best defense in the country. Is this not what the franchise is looking for? A quarterback who can elevate those around him to be better.
That’s what Chicago had hoped Jay Cutler would be for the past eight years. Unfortunately for one reason or another, that wasn’t the case. Now the Bears are once again at a crossroads. Do they draft a quarterback in the first round and is Watson their guy? As with everything there is a debate on both sides of the fence. Each brings good points.
So here is why the Watson idea is not only possible, but growing more probable by the day.
Bears Draft Watson? Really?
The primary argument against drafting Watson has nothing to do with the position. In fact most Bears fans agree that this team has to draft a quarterback. The primary issue is where to take one. Experts tend to agree that any QB taken in the top five will be an automatic reach. Though Watson has enough talent to succeed in the NFL, the concern is he’s not prepared for the speed and diversity of the pro level.
If it’s pro readiness a team is looking for, then the Deshone Kizer Bears rumors make more sense. He was exposed to pro tendencies far more at Notre Dame. Yet he’s barely mentioned at all.
Normally a player selected with the #3 overall pick should be one who’s ready to play right away. A fair point and hard to argue. Then again one could argue the other way. Is Watson really that unprepared? Dak Prescott, who played in a similar sort of offense at Mississippi State, seemed to handle the transition just fine. Watson started over 30 games against some of the best programs in college football.
Hey, if the Bears could trade back in the first round this April odds are they’ll do it. Both the Jets and Browns are rumored to have interest in Mitchell Trubisky.
“They (the jets) got their eyes set on the North Carolina quarterback,” a rival scout told the New york Daily News in mid-December. “The Jets are all over this kid. All over him. They’ll probably deny it if you ask, but they love that kid. That’s their guy. They’re not going to get him though, because I think that kid is going to get over-drafted.”
Ryan Pace could easily swing a deal with one of them, knowing he’d likely have a strong shot at securing Watson after a move down. Then again, trading down is never easy in the draft. Pace has never gone that direction in the first round so far and it never happened during his time in New Orleans either. So while a move down to match player to pick value would be the right idea, there’s no guarantee it happens.
So why would the Bears still consider him, even at #3?
Star Power
Don’t underestimate the popularity of college football in this country. Some actually like it more these days than the NFL (or No Fun League). Regardless, that level can build superstars just like the pros can. Watson has been the best and brightest to come around in a long time. It really began back in early 2016 when he shredded Alabama in their first national championship meeting for 478 total yards and four touchdowns. The Crimson Tide prevailed 45-40, but it was Watson who gained the notoriety.
Tim Tebow put it best. “The best team in the country beat the best player in the country.”
Then for Watson to wade through all the increased pressures of that next season, endure a beating from an even better Alabama defense in a title game rematch, and lead a last-second game-winning drive? Only superstars do stuff like that.
“The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist took the Clemson program to another level, resulting in the school’s first national championship in more than 30 years.
Tremendous leader and winner. Good pocket posture with quiet upper body. Good pocket mobility and doesn’t show much panic when pocket gets noisy. Sacked just 32 times over his last 1,181 drop-backs. Willing to stand in and deliver the ball against rib-wreckers on a clear path for him. Has history of clutch play in big games and big moments.”
Name the last Bears quarterback who brought that level of notoriety with them out of college. Odds are the search will take a long time because he doesn’t exist. The closest was Jim McMahon thanks to his Holiday Bowl heroics and outstanding production at BYU. Things turned out pretty well when Chicago took him in 1982.
Watson could be even better. At least that’s what Pace has to be thinking.
The GM Fit
It’s hard to look at Watson and not immediately proclaim he’s everything that the Bears GM looks for in a quarterback. Or at least has claimed to look for. It was Pace himself who said he favors a player who with experience and who clearly elevated the program when he played there. Those were his exact words. So unless it’s some sort of elaborate ploy, there is truth to those remarks.
“Yeah, it (experience) carries a lot of weight. I think there’s nothing that can really substitute that,” Pace said. “It’s already a big jump from college to the NFL as it is, so the more of that you have, the more beneficial it is.”
Watson is the only quarterback among the top four who fit both criteria. He started over 30 games for Clemson across three seasons and lost just three games. All of them by a touchdown or less. The kid doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit. An ultra competitor just Drew Brees, whom Pace admitted is the standard by which he measures these young QBs. If that weren’t enough, there is the decided mixed messages he’s showing in the predraft examinations.
Could that be a smokescreen? Sure. Then again it could also be a team checking up on the guy they already plan to make their future franchise quarterback. The other was just a formality. Experts like to say teams don’t decide their draft boards until a week or two before the action. That’s not always true though. Sometimes a team is convinced a certain player is their guy weeks or even months in advance. Given how neatly Watson slides into Pace’s vision of what a quarterback should be, it’s not a stretch at all to think he’s their guy.
The System Fit
Dowell Loggains was offensive coordinator for his first season in 2016. He’d only been one for a season and a half back with the Tennessee Titans. This is a man who still is forging a personal identity as a play caller and game planner. It seemed like towards the end of last year he was figuring things out. His offense is built in the time-honored style of the chess match.
That is to say chip away at the defense by running the ball spaced between short-to-intermediate passes to keep the chains moving. Then, when the situation calls for it, take a shot or two down the field for a big play.
It’s not completely different from what Watson ran at Clemson. Sure the complexities are at a different level, but the approach was the same. Use the running game to keep defenses honest. Spread the ball around with screens, crosses and slants to the backs, tight ends and receivers. Then take the shot.
Watson has the legs to extend running plays himself and enough accuracy to consistently hit the short-to-intermediate range passes in order to keep drives on schedule. It’s not always precise. His deep ball can be erratic at times, but such things can be improved. In the end his execution on this drive is near flawless, leaving almost no time left on the clock before jabbing the stake into Alabama’s heart.
Glennon and (maybe) Sanchez
The final thread on this “Bears draft Watson” scenario is the issued warning by most experts. He can end up being a great player in the league. However, any team that drafts him must have a plan in mind. It would be best to build up the offensive roster talent and also giving him time to absorb the playbook. Throwing him out on the field right away is a recipe for disaster.
It would be much wiser to have somebody with experience start for awhile, giving him a chance to learn from the sideline. Not to mention somebody who can give him inside knowledge on what it takes to operate properly in a pro-style system. Given some recent moves by the Bears, this could be exactly what they have in mind.
With Mike Glennon they have a 27-year old with 18 games of starting experience. He could hold down the job for a season or two, playing the role of game manager. Then there is the recent news of Mark Sanchez paying a visit. While his time as a starter in New York and Philadelphia was painful to watch at times, he’s still got loads of valuable experience.
He also seems to have embraced the role of mentor, something Dallas Cowboys sources claim was vital to the success of Dak Prescott in 2016 according to ESPN.
“The connection started soon after Sanchez arrived in Dallas in September. An NFL veteran of seven years, Sanchez took the initiative to advise Prescott on the sidelines. He also praised him after Prescott found success in the early going, pointing out specific plays where the rookie quarterback from Mississippi State performed well.”
If this were the idea the Bears have in mind, it’s not a bad one at all. It has all the bases covered and sets them up for what they want: long-term, sustained success. Drafting Deshaun Watson at #3 may not adhere to the “best player available” mantra that Ryan Pace champions. Then again only time determines who the actual best players in a draft are. If this team believes Watson can be a franchise-altering player at quarterback, they have to pull the trigger.
It certainly looks like that might be on their minds.
