Deshaun Watson Fantasy News and Statistics

The Houston Texans haven’t had much success at quarterback in their short history. Matt Schaub, the franchise’s career leader in passing yards, was the gold standard for a few years before completely falling apart in 2013. The quarterbacks before and after Schaub do not foster fond memories. That's why trading up to take Deshaun Watson in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft made all the sense in the world for a team that believes it's awfully close to the Super Bowl.

It started with former top overall pick David Carr. He led the NFL in sacks in three of the five years he spent with the Texans. He was never close to being the answer in Houston, but he’s still next on the list of passing yards leaders after Schaub. The quarterbacks ranked Nos. 3-10: Sage Rosenfels, Brock Osweiler, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, T.J. Yates, Ryan Mallett and Tony Banks.

So it’s no surprise that the Texans were on the lookout for a quarterback headed into the 2017 NFL Draft. They gave up their 2017 first-round pick (25th) and their 2018 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns so they could select Watson at No. 12 overall.

Watson is a Clemson legend. He started two full seasons and most of a third. He led the Tigers to two national championship appearances and one win. He was a two-time Heisman finalist, a two-time Davey O’Brien Award winner, a two-time Manning Award winner and a consensus All-American. He also won ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

As a true freshman in 2014, he began the season splitting time with senior Cole Stoudt. That didn’t last long, as Watson was the full-time starter before the end of September. However, he struggled with injuries for the rest of the season. He broke a bone in his throwing hand after just six passes against Louisville, then missed Clemson’s next three games. Once that healed, he injured his knee and missed most of the Georgia Tech game and all of the Georgia State game. He returned to play in a win over South Carolina, and it was revealed he had a torn ACL. He would not play in Clemson’s Russell Athletic Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

Watson returned fully healthy in 2015 and led the Tigers to an undefeated regular season. He threw for 4,104 yards, rushed for 1,105 and scored 47 touchdowns. The Tigers defeated Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff semifinals and faced Alabama in the CFP National Championship game. Though Watson threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns, the Tigers dropped a 45-40 decision.

As a junior, Watson’s regular season winning streak came to an end. Despite throwing for a career-high 580 yards, the Tigers lost to Pittsburgh, 43-42. However, they would not be denied in the CFP two years in a row. Clemson steamrolled Ohio State, 31-0, then took a 35-31 decision over Alabama in a National Championship rematch. In what will go down as the biggest play of his college career, Watson threw the game-winning 2-yard touchdown to Hunter Renfrow with one second remaining.

Watson decided to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. He was the third quarterback selected after Mitchell Trubisky (No. 2 to Chicago) and Patrick Mahomes (No. 10 to Kansas City). The only player blocking Watson from being the starter in Houston is Tom Savage. If Watson isn’t the starter by Week 1, it’s just a matter of time. He’s well-positioned to leave Matt Schaub in the dust when all is said and done.