NFL Draft Props: Mitch Trubisky Slight Favorite Over Deshaun Watson To Be First QB Taken
It's a good year to be a quarterback coming out of college. So many teams picking early -- including four of the first six -- are hungry for a franchise QB.
But who will go first? Will it be North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky or Clemson's DeShaun Watson? Or maybe another junior, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer?
Draft experts disagree, with CBS Sports' Dane Brugler projecting Trubisky (No. 2 to San Francisco) to hear his name called first and CBS Sports' Rob Rang picking DeShaun Watson (No. 6 to Jets) to get the honor.
Offshore sportsbook BetOnline.ag makes Trubisky a slight -115 favorite, with Watson at -105 and Kizer at +700.
From BetOnline.ag: First Quarterback Selected in 2017 NFL Draft
Mitch Trubisky -115
Deshaun Watson -105
DeShone Kizer +700
Pat Mahomes +2000
MITCH TRUBISKY (risk $115 to win $100): There's a wide range of opinion on who grabs the junior. The Browns (No. 1), 49ers (No. 2), Bears (No. 3) and Bills (No. 10) all make sense, but some observers believe he could drop all the way to the Chiefs at No 27.
Rang cited speculation that Trubisky might measure shorter at next week's Combine than his program listing of 6-foot-3.
Last season, Trubisky completed 68.2 percent of his throws for 3,748 yards and 30 TDs with six INTs. He also rushed for five scores.
DESHAUN WATSON (risk $105 to win $100): No one can question Watson's ability to perform in the clutch, but Rang noted the Tigers star has "a relatively slim frame that invites questions about his ability to hold up to a full season of NFL punishment."
The Jets (No. 6) and Buffalo (No. 10) seem to be Watson's likeliest destinations.
In leading Clemson to a comeback win over Alabama in the national title game, Watson capped a season in which he accounted for 50 TDs against 17 INTs.
DESHONE KIZER (risk $100 to win $700): Kizer wasn't totally to blame for Notre Dame's 4-8 record, though his completion percentage did fall to 58.7 from 63.0 in 2015. He's been projected as high as No. 2 to San Francisco or No. 3 to Chicago and as low as late first round or early second.
The Chargers (No. 7), Cardinals (No. 13) and Chiefs (No. 27) also would make sense.
Kizer (6-4, 230) "looks the part with the desired height and developed build," per Brugler, adding that Kizer has "above-average arm strength with easy velocity to make every NFL throw."
PAT MAHOMES (risk $100 to win $2,000): Most view the 6-3, 219-pound Texas Tech as the third- or fourth-best QB prospect in the draft. He received a second-round grade from the NFL. CBS Sports' top two draft analysts have floated him as the 49ers' second-round choice.
But the nation's leading passer last year (5,052 yards) is rising on some draft boards. One playoff team compared Mahomes to Derek Carr coming out of Fresno State, per WalterFootball.com.
And CBS' latest mock draft has the Texans, unhappy with Brock Osweiler, nabbing Mahomes at No. 25 overall. It would be a great situation for Mahomes, going to a winning team with an elite defense.
Share This Story