The Layers of Taking Deshaun Watson

With the 12th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, the Houston Texans traded up to get themselves a quarterback. While many had them taking the best available quarterback at No. 25, I believe the decision to draft Deshaun Watson is a little more complex than it seems on the surface. It isn’t simply because Watson was available and fills the need.

Deshaun Watson is without a doubt one of the greatest ‘winners’ in college football history. When you think about the word gamer, Deshaun Watson’s face should immediately appear inside of your head. By gamer I mean a player who may not pop out at you on tape or even within their measurables, but when the lights are shining the brightest and the games are the biggest, they step their game up to extraordinary heights. This describes Watson to a tee. For example, one of Watson’s best performances of his career came against Alabama in the National Championship — a gamer.

Although Watson is a great ‘winner’ he is still a bit rough around the edges when it comes to the nuances and specificities of playing quarterback, but that’s where his new head coach will come in. To disclaim, I have always believed Texans’ head football coach Bill O’Brien was a bit overrated, but dating back to the Matt Cassel/New England days and even to his small time at Penn State he showed that he could bring the best out of a potential prospect. On the other side of the coin however, you have to look at some of his more recent failures. An epic one in particular comes to mind in the now defunct Brock Osweiler. Watson is a stud and could lead a franchise for many years to come, but he needs a bit of polish. Many believe Bill O’Brien is a guy that can turn coal into a diamond. That is one reason Watson now calls Houston home, even if he may end up being a diamond in the rough.

Along with a good quarterback and coach, a team must have weapons to get the ball to. Fortunately for Watson, the Texans have one of the best in the business. Entering the last year of his deal before becoming an UFA, Deandre Hopkins was a huge factor in taking Watson. He is also a reason Houston went about moving up to acquire Watson so aggressively, as it sends a message to Hopkins plus the entire organization. It says, not only are we in “win now” mode, but we are dedicated to winning, building this team and organization, and making our current players comfortable at all times. Not only does Watson allow Hopkins to become his best self again, it gives him a signal caller he can relate to — a fellow Clemson alum.

It doesn’t hurt that Watson has led the Tigers to a couple national title games and a championship, so he probably already has the respect of Hopkins and a few others in the Houston locker room. To tie it all in a neat bow, having Watson there doesn’t hurt when considering keeping Hopkins in Houston long-term. This is another reason the Texans drafted Watson.

The last significant reason that the Texans took Watson may come as a surprise to some, but can be proven by looking only a few hundred miles away in Dallas. What the Dallas Cowboys did last year can undoubtedly be described as catching lightning in a bottle, and there is no reason to believe Houston is capable of anything close. What we can say for certain is that with weapons like Hopkins, Will Filler, Lamar Miller, and C.J. Fiedorowicz just to name a few, and a lethal defense that gets to the QB, Houston is still in great shape. Last year it was thrown around that the Texans only seemed a quarterback away from competing, and they now look to have that quarterback. I am not saying that Watson and Dak Prescott are the same player, but they are very similar in their skillsets, abilities, and what they were asked to do in college.

Watson may not pan out, but with the way he performed and produced in college, that isn’t likely. Houston may have just gotten themselves the best quarterback in the draft if you ask me, but hey, who asked? Watson can and will be the missing piece to this Texans team, and with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on the other side of the ball, he should have plenty of opportunity to show his stuff. The Texans are counting on Watson to be the missing piece to a painfully difficult puzzle.