The idea that Watson doesn’t read the field is bunk.

An NFL employee that I have an opportunity to talk with frequently asked me what I thought about Deshaun Watson after his National Championship Performance. The bottom-line verdict: While I’m still studying him, I haven’t seen any major flaws with his game that should make a team shy away from him as prospect with starter upside.

His verdict was similar.

“His game doesn’t check all the boxes that I need on my assessment to say he’s a low-risk pick that one would recommend without reservation as an early pick, but he doesn’t have any deal-breaker negatives that would lead me to believe he’s unlikely to progress.”

A sensible contrast to the polarized view that Watson is A) worthy of a top-10 pick and an instant top-notch starter or B) vastly overrated and a project, at best.

This RSP Film Room on Watson examines some of his reads and work in the pocket, including an example of the type of full-field reads I’ve seen from Watson that debunk the ignorant claim that his reads are predetermined.

I have more to study so expect my views to change, but not enough for me to fit into one of those extreme categories.

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