The Clemson Pro Day has officially begun, which means most of the NFL world will be on hand to observe DeShaun Watson and Mike Williams. While Williams is a very strong bet to go in the top ten, Watson’s status remains up in the air. Some have suggested he could go in the top five, while others think he very well might not be deserving of a first round pick.
Watson is still set to work out, but in the meantime, Williams got his workout off to a strong start. Reports from Clemson indicate he ran a 4.50 40-yard dash. There are some people reporting a 4.56/4.58 time, but for a guy his size (6’4, 218 pounds), anything under 4.6 seems pretty impressive. Williams did not run at the NFL Combine.
The NFL Network crew discussed what Watson has to show when he goes through his paces on Thursday. Film and private workouts will likely account for more, but how he performs in his Pro Day workout will remain on people’s minds. Bucky Brooks had this to say on Wednesday:
"The only thing that he has to answer is, can he assimilate from being a quarterback that ran a spread system to being a pro-style quarterback? People want to see what the footwork, the mechanics, and the accuracy look like when it comes to throwing," NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks said Wednesday on Path to the Draft. "He's an outstanding player, he's a proven winner, but you just want to make sure he's a guy who can jump into a different system and have the same kind of success."
There will be questions about his accuracy, how he handles coming out from under center, and so forth. We’ll have a look at all the reports from his Pro Day later today or tomorrow. And I imagine NFL Network will have some coverage of it. After that, we wait to see if the 49ers bring him in for a private workout.