The wrap of the 2016 season this past Sunday means Todd McShay is back with his second mock draft for the 2017 NFL Draft. Back in December, McShay’s first mock draft had Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen going to the Cleveland Browns at No. 1, and Texas A&M pass rusher Myles Garrett to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 2. Two months later, he has Garrett going No. 1 and Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson going No. 2.
Garrett at No. 1 is going to be par for the course for most mock drafts over the next two and a half months. Barring some kind of bad off-field incident, Garrett will be mocked No. 1. Whether or not the Browns take a quarterback there remains to be seen, but the pick seems pretty likely.
McShay is not sold on Watson as a first round talent, but he thinks Watson’s intangibles coupled with “intriguing physical tools” will help him in the pre-draft process.
We don't have a first-round grade on Watson because of his inconsistent accuracy and decision-making (30 INTs the past two seasons). But his outstanding leadership skills and intangibles will help him during pre-draft meetings with teams, and he does have intriguing physical tools, including a good arm and athleticism. Kyle Shanahan's offense would be a good fit for Watson -- or UNC's Mitch Trubisky, who I thought about putting here. Shanahan has had success with mobile QBs in the past.
We can go round and round with quarterbacks. I don’t think Kyle Shanahan’s success with a particular type of quarterback is what will be the difference-maker. He has proven he can work with a variety of quarterbacks, adjusting his offense to the skills of his quarterback. If things are otherwise equal between two potential quarterbacks, maybe then it makes, but otherwise, I don’t think that necessarily plays entirely into it.