In a trade with Cleveland, the Texans moved up to the No. 12 spot to draft Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Houston jumped 13 spots from No. 25 to get the first-round selection. Terms of the trade were not disclosed by the team.
Watson put up record numbers during his three seasons at Clemson. He led the Tigers to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances. In 2016, Watson finished his collegiate career with a national championship win over Alabama.
"I love his football IQ," Texans analyst John Harris said Thursday night. "Gamer. Ultimate competitor. Clutch with the ball in his hands late in the game. He took a pounding against Alabama and yet with 2:07 left, down three, he led the Tigers to the win on the nation's best defense."
Watson finished his 2016 campaign throwing for 4,593 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just 17 interceptions. The 6-2, 221-pound quarterback also rushed for 629 yards and 9 touchdowns. A two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, Watson was a two-time winner of both the Davey O'Brien and Manning Awards as the nation's best quarterback.
This is just the second time in franchise history that the Texans drafted a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft (David Carr, 2002).
