Mayock not "bullish" on quarterbacks, says Watson not a top 10 pick

Watson scores against Alabama last month

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Feb 27, 2017, 3:52 PM

Mike Mayock of the NFL Network thinks that there are four quarterbacks worthy of a first round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but he doesn’t think any one of the four is worth a top 10 pick.

That includes former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

"I'm not bullish on the quarterbacks this year," Mayock said on a conference call Monday afternoon, saying that he doesn’t think any of the quarterbacks on the board can contribute much at the beginning of 2017.

"And it doesn't mean that I don't think there's talent there," said Mayock. "All four of them have holes in their game. I don't think any of them are ready to start Week 1."

Mayock says this is the deepest draft he’s seen in a while, just not at quarterback.

“This is as good and as deep a class as I’ve seen in a draft in several years—with the exception of quarterback and offensive line. Running backs and tight ends, top end, and depth are outstanding. Tight ends—I haven’t seen a group like this in years,” he said. “Wide receivers, very good. Defensively, it’s unbelievable. The edge rushers … we haven’t seen a group like this in a long, long time. You’ll be able to get a starting edge rusher in the fourth round that last year or most drafts you’d compare to an edge rusher in the second round. Cornerbacks and safeties, it’s the best I’ve seen in 10 years at least.”

Many draft analysts have Watson going to the San Francisco 49ers with the second overall pick, but Mayock said five players were more worthy of being picked in that spot than Watson or any of the other quarterbacks. Mayock listed defensive end Myles Garrett from Texas A&M, Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, LSU safety Jamal Adams and Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster as viable candidates for that spot.

Mayock then went on to point out that his top quarterback is Notre Dame signal caller DeShone Kizer, even though Kizer regressed in 2016.

"What I don't like is how his game fell apart in the fourth quarter of a lot of games," Mayock said. "It depends if you like him or you don't. If you like him, you think his game fell apart because he tried to do too much in the fourth quarter this year. Or if you don't like him, you say, 'Well, it's never going to happen.'"

The other three Mayock likes? UNC’s Mitch Trubisky, Watson and Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes, and he said that Watson seems to get better when the stakes are higher.

"When the game's on the line he gets better," he said. "He does not shrink. But (he) has to show he can live in the pocket. And when he sits there and that first read is available -- he's really good. When that first look isn't there, it starts to break down a little bit. Part of his instinct is to try to get out of the pocket because he's a good athlete. But when he stays in the pocket his accuracy drops, his decision-making drops."