49ers NFL Draft Rumors: Making Sense of San Francisco’s Interest in QB Deshaun Watson
By Peter Panacy
Various reports are suggesting the San Francisco 49ers are interested in Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson early in the 2017 NFL Draft. Niner Noise makes sense of these last-minute rumors.
The San Francisco 49ers are reportedly interested in using the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft on former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.
This latest rumor stems from Pro Football Weekly’s Greg Gabriel, who reported such on April 22.
“SF supposedly wants Watson, if Cleveland is actually dumb enough to take [Mitchell] Trubisky at 1 then QBs could go 1, 2,” Gabriel tweeted out. “Would throw [first round] totally off.”
San Francisco 49ers
This isn’t the first time the Watson-to-49ers rumor has surfaced. Back in January, Bleacher Report’s Rob Goldberg mocked Watson to San Francisco.
The two sides met at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this spring, and general manager John Lynch hosted Watson at the team’s headquarters in Santa Clara earlier in April, according to NFL Network (h/t Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News).
San Francisco needs a franchise quarterback. Currently, the team has veterans Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley on the roster. Neither is perceived as a long-term answer.
But is Watson, whose on-field traits are very similar to those of former San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick, the answer? Especially at No. 2 overall?
Remember, head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t view Kaepernick as a fit for his offense. Sure, Watson has a lot of potential to grow into, but it’s easy to see why the fit isn’t there on the surface.
Making Sense of the Rumors
The quarterback position is thin in this year’s NFL Draft. In other drafts, Watson might not even be considered a Round 1 selection. But the shortage of NFL-caliber QBs in this year’s class, combined with Watson’s victory over Alabama in the CFB Championship game, have likely pushed the Clemson product into first-round discussion.
At No. 2, this pick doesn’t make much sense.
Yet it’s important to note a good chunk of rumors this time of year are just that. Lynch has already expressed interest in the Niners trading down from No. 2 overall.
And a number of NFL teams are in need of a quarterback. Could this be a play to drum up interest in the second pick overall?
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Possibly. Perhaps even likely.
San Francisco isn’t in a rush to land a quarterback. The Niners aren’t like the Houston Texans — a playoff-bound team solely lacking a signal-caller to get to the next level.
No, the Niners have needs across the board, which makes adding more draft picks sensible. Plus, the 2018 NFL Draft is supposed to have a greater crop of quarterbacks. Or if the 49ers are truly interested in Washington Redskins quarterback –, and pending 2018 free agent — Kirk Cousins, why use a high pick on Watson?
The Niners could surprise everyone on April 27 and take Watson at No. 2 overall.
Next: 5 Biggest Questions Facing the 49ers in the NFL Draft
It’s just highly unlikely though.