Trubisky, Watson give ACC star power at quarterback
MORE: Predictions on this week's big commitments | Bowl rankings
Just a few years ago, the ACC was not known for routinely producing top-level quarterbacks, but that has recently changed. The conference's player development at the position is even more magnified this year with North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson topping many draft boards.
“I remember in the late 2000s, right around 2010, when the ACC was being ridiculed for a lack of quarterbacks,” Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said. “Matt Ryan was the elite quarterback of the conference and no other programs really had anybody who was considered an elite pro prospect.
“The ACC has come a long way, and it’s going to help in recruiting. The SEC has not consistently produced quarterbacks and kids in the Southeast and even other parts of the country - Trubisky is from Ohio - will start to gravitate. (Miami QB Brad) Kaaya came from California to the ACC because it’s becoming known as a quarterback-development conference.
“And they love pro-style offenses. That’s huge, too. You can’t overestimate how important it is for a kid to work under center and show his ball skills and use play-action. It’s not all spread out Big 12, Pac-12 football.”
Trubisky and Watson are recognized as two of the top quarterbacks available for April’s NFL Draft. The debate really only starts there.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., said on a conference call last week that he has Trubisky as the top quarterback available, a mid-first round selection, but that he would recommend to the UNC star to return to Chapel Hill for another season.
It seems counterintuitive that Kiper would tell his top quarterback not to come out, but Kiper said Trubisky could move even higher, possibly to No. 1 overall, with another year of college seasoning.
Through 12 games this season, Trubisky – a former three-star from Mentor, Ohio – has completed nearly 69 percent of his passes for 3,468 yards with 28 touchdowns and four picks. He’s also rushed for five scores. The numbers are great. The sample size isn’t.
“Only 13 career starts is what he would end with if he decides to come out,” Kiper said. “I have him 16th on the Big Board. He’s a first-round talent. I’d love to see him go back to North Carolina for another year.
“If he does, he could be the first pick overall in next year’s draft. Taking a kid with 13 career starts in the first round hasn’t happened. (Mark) Sanchez had 16. Cam Newton had 14 plus he had the JUCO level at Blinn and he had been at Florida.
“We’ve had quarterbacks with fewer starts that didn’t go in the first round but for a first-round quarterback, maybe a top-10 pick or the No. 1 pick overall, 13 career starts has got to be a little bit bothersome.”
Kiper and Farrell seem to be in complete agreement that Kaaya needs another season at Miami to fine-tune things. Even though the 2018 draft could be loaded at the position, coming out a year early just doesn’t seem to make sense for the Miami quarterback, who threw for 3,250 yards with 23 TDs and seven interceptions this year.
There is tremendous disagreement on Watson, though. The former five-star QB has led Clemson to two straight College Football Playoff appearances, but there continue to be ongoing questions about his decision-making and accuracy. Kiper doesn’t have an absolute first-round grade on Watson.
Could someone as talented as Watson really fall out of the first round?
“Having Mike Williams back after not having him last year, you thought would take this offense to another level. It didn’t,” Kiper said. “Late in the year they really hit their stride. It’s going to be interesting to see how they finish up in the, hopefully for them, last two games coming up.
“He’s got a chance still to maybe get in that late first, early second round discussion. Right now he’s not there yet. I don’t think there is a first-round quarterback outside of Mitch Trubisky out of North Carolina, and I hope he goes back for another year.”
For Farrell, that just does not compute.
Clemson is 12-1, its only loss coming on a last-second field goal against Pitt. Last season, the Tigers finished 14-1 and took Alabama to the wire before losing in the College Football Playoff final.
A lot of that success has to do with Watson, who has some accuracy issues but is also completing nearly 68 percent of his passes for 3,914 yards with 37 TDs and 15 picks (the major concern), along with 526 rushing yards and six scores.
If an NFL franchise takes a shot on one ACC quarterback in the first round, Farrell is confident it should be Watson, the top-rated dual-threat QB in the 2014 class.
“I like Watson because he’s been through the battles,” Farrell said. “A one-year starter is scary. I’ve seen a few of those guys go off to the NFL and have success. I’ve seen a few of them go off and be complete busts. You don’t have a great sample size with Trubisky. With Watson, you’ve seen him not only in big games but in playoff games.
“He’s had some accuracy issues, mostly with downfield balls overthrowing wide open guys. His decision-making throwing into traffic or being a little late on his outs, too, but those are all teachable things on the NFL level. He has a skill set with the dual-threat ability and the leadership and the character and the ability to win games in the fourth quarter that’s really hard to find. He’s first for me by far. I don’t think there’s any chance he slides into the second round. I don’t think that’s possible.”
The debate over Trubisky and Watson will rage for months until the NFL Draft if both turn pro.
For ACC programs trying to recruit the next Watson or Trubisky, that’s all well and good. The more exposure those two get, the more coaches could sell recruits on the ACC being the conference of quarterbacks.
