The most important position in the sport and always a debate for the Browns, with 26 different starters since 1999 and four different starters alone in 2016. Top 25 *Per NFL Draft Scout Overall, there seem to be very mixed reactions to this QB draft class. There are two or three players projected in the first round, although history says that there will probably be at least three taken there. Three of these quarterbacks are being coached by Hue Jackson at the Senior Bowl: Davis Webb, Joshua Dobbs, and Antonio Pipkin, none of whom are ranked very highly by most people. Personally, my preference would be to pass on quarterback until round four or so and pick up Josh Dobbs. If the Browns are determined to take a quarterback at the top of the draft, I suppose I'd have to lean towards Deshaun Watson, although Mitch Trubisky would be an interesting number two choice. I've watched film on: Watson, Trubisky, DeShone Kizer, and Josh Dobbs, so I'll start the evals there.
I'm somewhat intrigued by the Beathard kid out of Iowa. Need to find out more about him other than his NFL DNA.
Looks like there are a lot of guys that could shoot up boards due to the old adage "you cant coach size".
Chad Kelly: "Draft me for my 'swag'." [twitter=https://twitter.com/WhereIsDaHud/status/799429175002234882][/twitter] You go, 'dawg'.
I think If the Browns stay at #1, it will be to select a QB...If they don't deem any of the QB prospects worthy of the #1 selection, it wouldn't be shocking at all IMO to see them trade down in an effort to find their guy at a more desirable slot. Comment from Hue Jackson, speaking about the talent in the upcoming draft after yesterday's Senior Bowl practice: "A good quarterback trumps an elite DE."....It could be a bunch of coach talk BS, but it also could be very telling...That, combined with the many comments he's made that would indicate he doesn't think our QB of the future is currently on the roster, makes me feel strongly that we are going QB early in this draft... If it's about production, it's gotta be Watson....
Oh, he's a hot mess... way worse than Johnny. [twitter=https://twitter.com/miakhalifa/status/787167539361046528][/twitter] And for those who don't know who Mia Khalifa is, one, I assume you're lying and two, she's an ex-adult film star.
Deshaun Watson 6'3" 215 pounds Junior Pros: Very talented athlete with a good arm. Extremely productive in college, winning a National Championship and competing in two. Watson has a quick release which may, or my not, be aided by the scheme he runs. Highly accurate passer, on paper at least - his accuracy runs hot and cold, it seems. Bounces back from mistakes and is reported to have a very high work ethic (graduated from college in three years). Cons: Worked exclusively out of the shotgun in a spread offense with zone-read playcalling. Slight frame (listed as 6'3" 215) and some injury history (broken hand, sprained LCL, torn ACL), although no injuries in his past two seasons. Not an elite athlete like a Robert Griffin, and too small to be a constant runner at the next level. Bottom Line: The thing that stands out - for me - about Watson is his ability to rise to the occasion. That "Tom Brady" factor. Case in point, in the two biggest games of his career on the biggest stage he'd seen he was nearly flawless against an elite college defense. In a bad QB class (2016), Watson was talked about as a potential No. 1 overall pick. In another bad QB class (2017), Watson is rumored to be rated anywhere from No. 1 overall to a third-round prospect. In truth, his offseason seems to mirror Cam Newton's from 2011 where he was analyzed, over-analyzed, and still walked away as the top pick despite a loaded class of defensive talent. The only difference is Cam has elite arm strength and a super-natural build, two things that - I think - will keep Watson from being No. 1 overall. Comparison: Cam Newton Lite. Final Thought: Given the questions/concerns around the rest of the class, I see Watson as the top QB. That said, I do not see him as one of the Top 5 players and even for a team desperate for a QB, I don't see the Browns taking a shot.
Deshaun Watson Throws like this (against a secondary with three first round picks in it), where you can see him check the whole field, and throw a nice pass to his receiver in single coverage is one of those you love about him: Rolls to the right and throws back to the left side of the field, showing his natural arm talent. Puts the ball in a near-perfect spot for the receiver to come down with it. Throws like this, where he's turning the ball over in the redzone by forcing a pass into double coverage, is what drives you nuts about him. Worse still, he telegraphs this the whole time and doesn't seem to even see the safety waiting there. Never looks off the route and appears to have a receiver at the top of the screen come free - which reinforces the biggest knock against him, his decision making.
The Combine will be the great equalizer, but this is interesting... [twitter=https://twitter.com/MockingTheDraft/status/824732259479609344][/twitter] He's listed as 6'3" 220. At 6'1" and 220, he'd be the exact same size as Cody Kessler.
Nathan Peterman from Pitt. One of the few QBs who played in a more pro style offense. Watched his Clemson tape and liked what I saw. Not sure I'd take him in before the fourth round, but he could come off the boards earlier.
Even that top GIF of Watson, the ball was slightly underthrown as the WR did a slight stutter to adjust to it. First rd pick or not, a top flight NFL CB makes that play and slaps the ball away.
That's part of the issue trying to evaluate Watson. Mike Williams is a Top 5 talent - although his timed speed may drop him overall in the draft - and much like Mike Evans with Johnny Manziel, he's making his QB look spectacular. EDIT: Among other receiving options Watson has (Leggett, Cain, Renfrow, et al.)
Mitch Trubisky 6'1" 220 pounds RS Junior Pros: Highly-efficient in his single season as a starter, which would have looked even better if he hadn't played Virginia Tech in a literal hurricane. Quick release and under-rated mobility. Displays good arm strength on his throws but does not have an exceptionally strong arm. One of the only QB's I've watched this season who can actually throw receivers open, or at the very least anticipate throws. Solid build - his hang clean has gone viral, but it's unclear how his commitment to the weight room actually has impacted his ability to stay healthy since he's only started 13 contests. Cons: Spent two seasons as a backup to Marquise Williams who went undrafted and is now out of the NFL, so there's the question there of "why". Another prospect who played exclusively out of the shotgun set and while the talent level around him was nowhere near the caliber of Watson's at Clemson, he is bailed out by his receivers quite often. May be a bit ticky-tack, but when buying time on the move, typically only releases passes underneath for minimal gains, so I'm not sure he's keeping his eyes all the way downfield. These also are usually the passes his receivers bail him out on, so there may be some questions around his ability to throw accurately on the run. Bottom Line: Previously, the highest-rated QB by most folks in this draft class. However, that was before it was reported he'll measure just a hair over 6'1" at the Combine (he's listed as 6'3"). That's almost a two inch drop for a guy who really needs all the advantages he can get, given his small sample size. Final rankings will no doubt depend in part on those measurements. The last highly-drafted QB with similarly limited numbers was Ryan Tannehill who started 20 games at QB after switching from WR. However, Tannehill is much more athletic and has a more prototypical size. Only two QBs have actually been drafted in the first round with only one year of FBS starting experience... Mark Sanchez and Cam Newton. Right now, I'm leaning more towards Trubisky as a Sanchez comp versus Newton, since Newton is just such a freak athlete (and also had great success as a JUCO player). The mentor native would be a nice fan win from the "hometown kid" selling point, but is likely not the future face of this franchise. Comparison: Brady Quinn Final Thought: Like Quinn, Trubisky is a well-developed specimen and hometown kid. He is similarly proficient as the former Notre Dame star and actually displayed much better accuracy than Quinn ever did. Unfortunately, his question marks around such limited starting experience as well as experience in a spread system simply do not justify a Top 10 pick grade. Not to say that he won't go early (or even be the first QB off the board). I just don't foresee the Browns being the team to pull the trigger. Had Trubisky stuck around another year in school and improved his performance on the field, there's a very good chance he would have been No. 1 overall. No guarantees in this game, however, and he appeared to jump at the chance to shine in a weak QB class.
DeShone Kizer 6'4" 230 pounds RS Sophomore Pros: Prototypical QB prospect in every sense of the word. Ideal size/weight combination, mobility in and out of the pocket, and a good release. If you were to build your QB prospect in a video game, it'd come out looking something like Kizer. One of the only top prospects to play in a more pro-friendly scheme and use a similarly pro-style playbook. The problem, for me, is that's where the positives end and I've always been against drafting a QB simply because they measured well physically (Blaine Gabbert, Blake Bortles, etc.). Cons: For starters, despite a pro-style playbook, he played extensively in shotgun sets. Shotgun formation is not the same deal breaker for me as some GM's and scouts, but if we're going to dock one guy, we have to dock them all. While he was also a two year starter, he only has about 100 more attempts than Trubisky as he simply was not asked to throw the ball a lot. Regressed in his second season as a starter. Accuracy is not a strength and decision making needs to improve tremendously as he forces some passes. Much like Goff last season, he does not deliver the ball to the outside hashes as well, meaning the mechanics need to improve. Bottom Line: A third round prospect - in my mind - given how far he has to go. That said, I almost always grade prototypical QB prospects like this in the third-to-fourth round they nevertheless end up in the first round... sometimes in the Top 10. At the end of the day, they almost always bust out and never live up to the billing. However, Kizer could very well end up being this year's Wentz since he offers similar size and work ethic. Wentz went from mid-rounds to No. 2 overall pick - and had he played at a FBS school like Kizer, he likely could have leap-frogged Goff. So when all is said and done, Kizer could still end up being the first QB off the board in a class that no one seems to want to anoint a single guy as the best. Comparison: Colin Kaepernick Final Thought: Given his poor decision making at times and lack of accuracy, he seems to be missing Hue Jackson's top two desires from a QB prospect. Much like Kaepernick, he can throw a pretty football (both players were baseball pitchers) but lacks the running ability of Kaepernick. Too much of a project with too high of a price tag. If Kizer were a MAC QB who could be had in the fourth round I'd absolutely give him a shot, but I'm not touching him with the Top 65.
Josh Dobbs 6'3" 216 pounds Senior Pros: Extremely intelligent individual - 3.5 GPA with a major in aerospace engineering and a business minor. Throws an incredible spiral (actually watched a video I will try to link later of him explaining the science behind throwing and velocity and how to generate a tight spiral). Seems to possess natural arm talent with the ability to make the right throw at every level. Surveys the field well with the ability to process multiple reads, rather than a one-read and run that a mobile, spread attack QB would be expected to. Excellent mobility and a true running threat. Limited success as a starter, although did perform well in all three bowl games (3-0 record) seemingly saving his best performances for his biggest stages (63.1 percent completion, 9 total touchdowns - 2 passing, 7 rushing - to 1 turnover). Cons: One word: inconsistent. Had some of his worst games against his best competition - outside of bowl games. Will force throws too often, probably over-trusting his arm and ability. Smaller frame for a running QB which will not translate as well at the next level. Needs to add some bulk if he's going to be used as an option QB in Hue's system. Bottom Line: Browns head coach and man-in-charge-of-bringing-a-franchise-QB-to-Cleveland, Hue Jackson, got an up-close and personal look at him in the Senior Bowl week. Dobbs is definitely a project as a prospect, but unlike some of the other question mark prospect QBs, should be available in the mid-rounds of the draft, making it a lower-risk gamble. Comparison: Dak Prescott Final Thought: Like Prescott, there were some inconsistencies in his game and he was more of a runner for the Vols than passer. That said, he led the vaunted SEC in QB rating (152.6) and touchdowns (26) while also adding 831 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. It's impossible to know if Prescott would be as successful as he was this season on another team, so patience needs to be preached with Dobbs. You're not drafting him expecting the same level of success, but rather because he's got all the tools a QB whisperer could work with. I definitely like Dobbs and hope we draft him, as I think there's a very high ceiling for him with the proper tutelage and patience. EDIT: Edited for typos.
As I'm posting this, I hear this about Kizer... Link: http://draftanalyst.com/hello-mobile This from Tony Pauline, who's a well-respected draft analyst.
