When Deshaun Watson took over on the final offensive possession of his Clemson career with 2:07 remaining in the national championship game against Alabama, facing a 31-28 deficit, the NFL had to be the last thing on his mind. But he was the only thing on Rick Smith's mind, and the Houston Texans general manager was right there at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa looking to see if Watson had the mettle to be the Texans' franchise quarterback.
"It's in the heat of the moment, the enormity of the moment, they have to go down and score," Smith told MMQB. "And just his presence, his confidence, his poise, the way that he handled himself in that situation, in that moment, it was very impressive. ... That's why I go to those games -- you can see how they respond to adversity, how they react to their teammates, how they react to their coaches, different situations during the game.
"I saw just tremendous poise and confidence in him. And obviously he went and performed in one of the all-time great games you'll ever see. He functioned in a very competitive and highly charged environment with a lot of poise and execution."
For the game, Watson completed 36 of 56 passes for 420 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. More importantly, however, he became more effective as the game wore on. He brought the Tigers back from a 14-0 hole, and Clemson didn't take its first lead until 4:38 left in the game.
Smith traded up to the No. 12 pick of the draft with the Cleveland Browns, a long leap forward from the No. 25 spot, and took Watson in a selection that will go a long way toward defining his tenure as Texans GM.
Watson's finish, a touchdown drive to cap a 35-31 upset of the Crimson Tide, stamped him as the clutch performer among his peers in the 2017 draft class of quarterbacks. Seven players on that Alabama defense were selected in the draft along with Watson, and they were no match for the QB on the game-winning drive.
It was surely impressive for any GM in attendance, but it was Smith who saw enough to trade up.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
