2017 NFL Draft Results: Houston Texans Trade Up, Draft Deshaun Watson 12th Overall

The Houston Texans have made their first selection of the 2017 NFL Draft, choosing Deshaun Watson (QB—Clemson).

The Texans traded up in the first round with the Cleveland Browns to make Watson their guy, giving up the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and their 2018 first round pick to move up to 12th overall. This is a clear sign that the Texans’ front office thinks Watson is their franchise quarterback. Thanks to the earlier Brock Osweiler trade, the Browns now own the Texans’ first and second round picks in 2018.

The Texans' need for a franchise quarterback has been well documented, especially after the failure of last year’s big free agency signing of Osweiler. Tom Savage is currently the starting quarterback, but he has only started two games since being selected in the fourth round back in 2014. Whilst Savage showed some promise in his limited action, the Texans needed to add another quarterback before the start of the season.

Deshaun Watson was one of the most coveted quarterback prospects of the 2017 NFL Draft, with an exemplary college winning record for the Clemson Tigers one of his many highlights. Watson was 32-3 as a starter at Clemson and led them to successive National Championship Games against Alabama, winning the second one. Although there are doubts about Watson's arm strength and decision-making, he has shown athletic ability and good pocket presence. If you want a further look at Deshaun Watson's ability, you can see Matt Weston's excellent breakdown here.

There you are, Texans fans. You asked for a quarterback in the first round, and Rick Smith delivered. Was it the right pick in your eyes?