The suspense will likely end on Thursday night for the top players in this year’s group of draft-eligible quarterbacks as the first round kicks off and teams start adding rookies to their roster ahead of the 2017 season.
Two of the quarterbacks at the top of that list are North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, neither of whom has established himself as the clear No. 1 choice across the board a couple of days ahead of the draft. Watson was on NFL Network Tuesday and shared his message for any team that might opt for Trubisky over him.
“You’re gonna have to live with the consequences that come with it. That’s how I see it,” Watson said. “I try to stay in my lane. I try not to take the path. I respect Mitch and what he’s done and all the hype he’s getting, but at the same time, my result speaks for itself. I feel like I’ve accomplished everything that I could. I guess if that’s who they’re gonna roll with, so be it.”
Among the biggest differences between the two quarterbacks is experience. Trubisky started for one year in Chapel Hill while Watson led Clemson to two straight national title games to give him a big edge in time as a starter. That is just one of the data points that teams will have to consider and it’s clear what side of the fence Watson believes is the more significant one.