INDIANAPOLIS: Deshaun Watson won the national championship with Clemson in January, and he triumphed Saturday in the on-field quarterback workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Of the four top-rated quarterbacks in April’s draft, Watson received the highest praise from analysts about his throwing session. North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky was a close second.
The Browns, who own the first and 12th overall picks and are searching for their next starting quarterback, undoubtedly paid close attention to the action as Watson and Trubisky excelled while throwing a slew of routes: out, in, go, curl and post-corner.
“The guy that I thought really looked good today was Deshaun Watson,” NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock said during a news conference at the Indiana Convention Center. “They all looked good. But his footwork was better than I expected coming out of [Clemson’s spread] offense, and his accuracy was consistently outstanding. So I think Watson is a guy that just caught my eye.
“Trubisky is polished, even though he’s only [started one season at North Carolina], which bothers me. But even though he’s only [started] one year, you can see the quick feet. Three step, five step, ball comes out. Quick feet, quick release and accurate. I really like him.”
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranked the performances of the four top-rated quarterbacks in this order: Watson, Trubisky, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer.
“He’s a heck of a quarterback. He’s a heck of technician,” NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said about Watson on the air. “We got to see that on display today and see the big arm.”
Mahomes wasn’t as accurate as Watson or Trubisky, but he fared well for the most part.
“Mahomes is the wild card,” Mayock said. “Man, is he athletic? I mean nothing’s conventional, and you could tell. He almost feels constrained [doing] five step with a hitch. He wants to get out of the pocket, make plays, sidearm, but I thought he threw the ball real well, and you could see his arm strength.”
Kizer, Mayock’s top-ranked quarterback entering the combine, displayed the accuracy issues that hindered him at times at Notre Dame.
NFL Network analyst and former NFL quarterback David Carr noted during the telecast that Kizer’s front foot placement was inconsistent and led to missed throws.
“His footwork isn’t always tied into the upper body as well as it needs to be,” Mayock added. “So every once in a while, you see a ball sail or a bad throw, and that’s why. But he’s got a big arm and a high ceiling.”
Jeremiah said Miami’s Brad Kaaya “helped himself more than anybody” during the workouts. NFLDraftScout.com projects Kaaya as a third-round pick.
“You knew Kayaa would [thrive] because that’s who he is,” Mayock added. “[When he has a] clean pocket, clear vision, [he] throws the ball beautifully.”
Mayock also liked the outings of two quarterbacks who played for the Browns coaching staff in the Senior Bowl: California’s Davis Webb and Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs.
“Webb, big arm and when his footwork matches up with his upper-body arm strength, it’s pretty special,” Mayock said. “And the two guys I’d want to develop, third- or fourth-round guys to me that I think have potential, quote, starter characteristics, would be Kaaya and Dobbs. Both of them are highly inconsistent in the pocket, but they’ve got size and arm strength.”
Of the top-rated quarterbacks, Watson posted the best official time in the 40-yard dash (4.66 seconds), followed by Trubisky (4.67), Mahomes (4.8) and Kizer (4.83).
Akron, not Arkansas
When University of Akron wide receiver Jerome Lane Jr. ran the 40 for the first time Saturday, an Arkansas Razorbacks logo appeared next to his name on NFL Network. The network sorted out the miscue on Lane’s second 40 attempt by using a Zips logo.
Lane said Friday his goal was to post a 40 time of 4.4 or 4.5 seconds but posted an official time of 4.6.
“Not bad for a guy that was a defensive end three years ago,” Mayock said on the air.
Lane arrived at UA as an outside linebacker/defensive end, then moved to safety and finally receiver. He played receiver for two seasons in college, and some of the drills Saturday didn’t go as smoothly as Lane probably would have liked.
Mayock criticized Lane’s footwork on a short route to the sideline, and he dropped a pass during the gauntlet drill. NFL Network analyst Steve Smith Sr., a former five-time Pro Bowl receiver, said he could tell Lane is “transitioning” to receiver because he was “counting” his steps on a post-corner route.
Record set
Washington wide receiver John Ross III broke the combine record in the 40 with an official time of 4.22 seconds. Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson set the previous record by posting a time of 4.24 in 2008.
Ross’ record excited Browns defensive tackle Danny Shelton. They were teammates at Washington.
“Done deal!! John Ross III New Record 4.22 40yd!!! @WatchJRoss #NFLCombine #RecordBreaker #JohnRossIII ,” Shelton tweeted.
Medical matters
Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said his surgically repaired shoulders are not an issue, and he feels great. He bench pressed Saturday in an attempt to quiet team’s concerns about his shoulders and got 22 reps.
“They said I have some arthritis in my left shoulder,” Allen said. “It’s not really a problem now, but it might be a problem 15, 20 years down the road, so I’m not worried about that right now. I’m worried about playing good for whichever team I go to.”
Browns star chimes in
ESPN reported Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster was sent home from the combine because he got into a heated altercation with a hospital worker as he waited for a medical exam Friday.
Browns 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas commented on the report Saturday via Twitter.
“Just guessing, but I bet they were trying to force him to get an x-ray or MRI for a decades-old ‘hang-nail’-type injury and he refused,” Thomas tweeted.
“Example: my year [at the combine], they made me get an X-ray on my ankle that I sprained playing basketball when I was 12. ... Still need to act respectful!!”
Foster, a projected first-round pick, downplayed the reported incident in a video on Instagram.
“Y’all, stop asking me what happened, for real,” Foster said. “Nothing happened.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.