Saints abandon defensive needs, select Deshaun Watson at No. 11
Now, this is truly a wild prediction, but bear with us here.
Watson, out of all the quarterbacks in this draft, has shown an ability to rise to the occasion and play at his best when the pressure is at its peak. He’s also a leader of men who comes from a program that established its recent winning tradition partly because of his intangibles, not to mention his exceptional physical traits. Heck, one scout told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Watson is better than Dak Prescott.
He’s the perfect young quarterback for Sean Payton and Drew Brees to mold into the future franchise passer for the Saints. The draft is deep with defensive talent, and we know the Saints need to improve their defense to have a chance to compete for a championship.
But guys like Watson don’t come along every year. He is flawed in that he doesn’t feel comfortable in the pocket and struggles with his mechanics, but all the physical tools are there. Furthermore, he’d have a golden opportunity to learn from a Hall of Famer and improve upon those lacking skills in New Orleans.
Given his top-level physical tools and invaluable intangibles, Watson would do well to sit behind Brees for a few years, a la Aaron Rodgers sitting behind Brett Favre. It’s a long-term play for a team that has short-term needs, but crazier things have happened on draft day.