The San Francisco 49ers front office and quarterbacks coach made a round of visits this week in their QB evaluation process, and that included a stop in Clemson to see DeShaun Watson. John Lynch said the team was going to have a “semi-private workout” with Watson, splitting it up with another team that he did not name.
In conducting the workout, it looks like the 49ers were efficient with it, bringing in a few other Clemson prospects. Clemson reporter Dan Hope tweeted on Friday that the 49ers also worked out tight end Jordan Leggett, wide receiver Artavis Scott, and wide receiver Germone Hopper.
Watson and the 49ers would need pass catchers for the workout. If I’m the 49ers, working out with non-Clemson pass catchers might make more sense to test Watson a little more. But seeing what he does in throwing to guys with whom he has chemistry holds some value.
Leggett is projected by CBS Sports as a potential third or fourth round pick, and Scott is projected as a potential fifth round pick. Hopper is an interesting one. He was a four-star recruit out of high school, but never was able to make an impact at Clemson. He left the school after his girlfriend gave birth to their daughter, and did not play this past year. MMQB has a fascinating read on Hooper. He is likely trying to shine as a potential UDFA addition who can contribute on special teams as a rookie.
The addition of the other Clemson players reminds me of the time Bill Walsh went to work out a Clemson QB. Walsh was in South Carolina in 1979 to work out Steve Fuller. At the time, Fuller was renting an apartment with his wide receiver Dwight Clark. On the day of the workout, Clark was heading out the door to play golf when the phone rang. It was Bill Walsh asking for Fuller. Clark said he would get Fuller, and at that point, Walsh remembered Clark played wide receiver, and asked if he could run some routes for Fuller’s workout.
There are some reports Walsh was not overly impressed with Fuller’s workout, but not too long after that, the 49ers spent a tenth round pick on Clark. The rest as they say, is history.
This is not to compare any of the Clemson pass catchers with Dwight Clark, but it just got me thinking.