WCG Selects Deshaun Watson in the 2017 SB Nation Mock Draft

The annual SB Nation writer mock draft got underway today with Dawgs by Nature, the site that covers the the Cleveland Browns, taking Myles Garrett, the defensive end from Texas A&M with the first overall pick. With the second overall pick, Niners Nation, the site that covers the San Francisco 49ers, went with Ohio State safety Malik Hooker.

Leaving Windy City Gridiron plenty of popular options with the third overall pick for the Chicago Bears. And while I did kick the idea around with the whole WCG crew, ultimately I went with the guy I believe Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace will take.

3. Bears: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

In a perfect world, I think Pace and the Bears take the best player available on their board, then try and trade back into the 1st round at some point for their favorite quarterbacking prospect. Either that, or a trade back to add a few picks, plaus get their QB, but with no trade guarantees, I went with Watson at three.

My guess is Pace favors Watson over Mitchell Trubisky, DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahomes II, but I’m not sure by how much.

Here’s some of what I told Dan Kadar, SB Nation’s NFL Draft Editor, about my pick of Watson.

...Pace set his team up to bring a rookie QB along slowly with the addition of Mike Glennon. If Watson needs some time to acclimate himself to the pro game, he’ll have it in Chicago.

Watson may be lacking elite arm strength, but he makes up for that in athleticism and those all-important intangibles. The Bears need a legit top prospect at the quarterback position, and history tells us the odds of getting one in the later rounds are slim.

And here’s what Kadar had to say about my pick.

There are two distinct ways to look at this pick. The first one is that it’s bad because the Bears brought in Glennon, so they might not need to rush on a quarterback with the third overall pick. The second way to look at it is that it’s a savvy pick. Glennon could be a bridge starter for Watson, albeit an expensive one. It won’t come as a surprise if the Bears take a quarterback at some point in this year’s draft. Taking one with the third pick, however, would be a surprise.

The Bears need a top rookie QB prospect. They do. You can argue that they should trade down, or trade up or even wait til next year, but there are no guarantees that those three things would happen. If the Bears are in position to get a guy they feel comfortable getting, they I won’t fault them for doing so.

So far my pick of Watson is receiving an A, so if you want to give a letter grade to my pick, go vote in the poll right here.