Who's really the best quarterback in this year's draft? Ask every scout, and you won't get the same answer twice in a row.
If you had to narrow down the class to the two prospects most likely to go first, however, you'd have two ACC quarterbacks: Clemson's Deshaun Watson and North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky. One of these QBs has played in two consecutive National Championship Games, winning one; the other has 13 career starts.
When asked Tuesday on Good Morning Football what he says to those who project the inexperienced Trubisky over him in this week's NFL Draft (Thursday-Saturday in Philadelphia), Watson channeled his inner Peyton Manning.
"You're gonna have to live with the consequences that come with it. That's how I see it," Watson responded. "I try to stay in my lane. I try not to take the path. I respect Mitch and what he's done and all the hype he's getting, but at the same time, my result speaks for itself. I feel like I've accomplished everything that I could. I guess if that's who they're gonna roll with, so be it."
Legend has it, Manning, during his 1998 combine interview, offered a bigger threat to the Indianapolis Colts, telling them, "If you don't (pick me), I promise I'll come back and kick your ass." Indy promptly drafted Manning first overall and went on to win mutiple division titles and its first Super Bowl since 1971.
So will teams heed Watson's warning? Of NFL.com's six mock drafts, Trubisky is the first quarterback taken off the board in five of them. Some whispers even have the Cleveland Browns taking the North Carolina signal-caller at No. 1. NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock, on the other hand, has Watson as his top quarterback in the draft.
Anything can happen on draft night, so stay tuned for consequences.
Watch the NFL Draft LIVE on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
