DeShaun Watson v. Mitchell Trubisky
DeShaun Watson
Frankly, the young man is very well experienced in life and in the game of football. Watson was raised in the projects by his mother who, unfortunately, would acquire tongue cancer. He persevered through life’s hardships and continued to play the game he loves most at a high level. DeShaun attended Clemson University and possesses a (32-3) record as their starting quarterback. In this year's National Championship game versus a stout Alabama defense, he was poised enough to rally his troops for the comeback victory. Watson never appeared to be rattled even though Clemson trailed the Crimson Tide by fourteen early on. His motto “Be Legendary” helped him knock off the defending champs in the final seconds. Now, the NFL draft is around the corner and scouts have downgraded and overlooked DeShawn's collegiate success. His lowered draft stock is due to his thirty-two interceptions within the no huddle offense. A no huddle quarterback must learn new terminology and how to empathize communication in order to be successful in the NFL. General managers are skeptical to whether if he will be able to visualize the play as he calls it. He must learn to read defenses up at the line of scrimmage and audible out to the correct play. Watson has one issue that allows defensive linemen to lay off and jump to tip the ball for a unlucky interception. He must communicate to his offensive linemen to force the defense’s hands down. Inaccuracy is not a problem for DeShaun. Miscommunication with his receivers is what gets him in trouble. The key factor to having success in the NFL is being able to read off the free safety. Do not allow him to read your eyes or he will pick your pocket. Watson’s mobility will greatly assist his stock, however, he must be willing and learn how to protect the ball and his body from unnecessary blows.
Mitchell Tribisky
A great deal of uncertainty if often referenced with Mitchell Tribisky. He left the University of North Carolina early after being only a one year starter. Tribisky paid his dues as a backup quarterback for two straight years. His “next man up mentality” is what all NFL coaches desire in a player. Mitch has outstanding composure when his number is called upon. In fact, his first career throw in college was a touchdown pass against Virginia. However, Tribisky’s body of work is limited to only 13 career starts. Even though he possesses a record of (8-5), he threw for over four thousand yards and broke school records. Mitchell Tribisky is the epitome of the traditional NFL pocket passer with incredible arm talent. Mitch has the arm strength to sling the ball downfield and the accuracy to throw touch fade passes to the back pylon. He also ran a no huddle offense similar to DeShaun Watson, but will he be able to execute at the highest level? Tribisky has a difficult time determining who the dummy blitzers are and therefore mistakenly throws the ball to the wrong team. He must learn to sense and read whether one is blitzing or dropping back into the coverage. Mitchell must learn to properly communicate and adjust the protection at the line in order to execute the play. Although Watson possesses the intangibles, Tribisky is viewed as athletic enough which raises his draft stock above Watson's in the eyes of NFL scouts. Don't forget that Cam Newton was also a one year wonder out of Auburn University.
Summary:
Arm Strength = Tribisky
Accuracy = Even
Ability to Read Coverages = Slight advantage to Watson
Pocket Awareness = Tribisky
Athleticism = Watson
Draft Projections:
Analyst: Chad Reuter
Tribisky - 2nd Overall Pick (San Francisco) / Watson - 27th Overall Pick (Kansas City)
Tribisky - 6th Overall Pick (New York Jets) / Watson - 12th Overall Pick (Cleveland)
Analyst: Lance Zierlien
Tribisky - 10th Overall Pick (Buffalo) / Watson - 25th Overall Pick (Houston)
Tribisky - 2nd Overall Pick (San Francisco) / Watson - 10th Overall Pick (Buffalo)
Photo Credit: David P. Woods (USA TODAY Sports / theScore)
Works Cited: Jon Gruden's QB Camp and @NFL_CFL
