2017 NFL Draft: Executives Pick Which QB Will Go First
By Erik Lambert
Who will be the first quarterback selected in the 2017 NFL draft? This is of course the question that typically dominates conversations everywhere.
Quarterbacks are the position that drives the National Football League these days. Super Bowl LI was a prime showcase of that with maybe the greatest of all-time Tom Brady taking on league MVP Matt Ryan. Some are wondering if the next great QB might reside in this upcoming class. Usually the biggest indication of who teams expect that to be is determined by the first man being picked. The problem is this new crop is a weird bunch with no clear front-runner.
So former scout and current draft expert for NFL.com Daniel Jeremiah polled five different executives around the league with this question. Who goes first off the board? Their responses were more than a little surprising for a number of reasons.
"Executive 1: Clemson’s Deshaun Watson“Watson should be the first QB to go next week. He’s the most accomplished guy in the group and he’s made of the right stuff.”Executive 2: Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes“Good question. I think the answer could shock some people. (Mitchell) Trubisky is the popular choice but I really think it could be Mahomes. I know a couple teams that love him.”Executive 3: Watson“Watson is my best guess. He has the best resume and he’s competitive and resilient. I think everyone understands the offense will have to be built around his strong points. He isn’t the most accurate guy, but he has the moxie, heart and intangibles you just can’t coach.”Executive 4: Watson“Watson is the most experienced and he has more good tape than the other quarterbacks. None of these guys are franchise-type, no-brainer picks, but he’s the closest to what you’d want at the position.”Executive 5: North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky“I think it will end up being Trubisky. He’s the safest player in the group.”"
Comfort in the known
Thus far the narrative has remained that the only top 10 quarterback of note is Trubisky, despite his obvious inexperience. Having three different guys say Watson will go ahead of him is a fascinating twist. It also holds true to the NFL norm. How so? Traditionally teams picking high in the draft tend to favor the most proven QBs. The ones who were extremely productive and/or posted a great record with their team in college. Watson was both.
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It was true of Jameis Winston in 2015. It was true of Eli Manning in 2004 and Peyton Manning in 1998. NFL teams like quarterbacks who are having success even before they go pro. Sure sometimes it can be attributed to the talent they’re surrounded by. That’s just not the case with Watson though. It was obvious on several occasions over the past two years that he was the reason Clemson was winning many of their games. None more so than the national championship comeback over Alabama.
People can nitpick his shortcomings like ball velocity and deep accuracy but the fact is the numbers and victories say way more. No other quarterback in the 2017 class comes remotely close to his level of accomplishment. That makes him worth the risk.