Deshaun Watson selected #12 overall in 2017 NFL Draft

Tony Crumpton by Assoc. Editor -

Former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson was selected #12 in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.

"It's amazing. I was telling myself not to cry but I couldn't hold it back," Watson said on ESPN after the pick. "Now I am finally introduced into the NFL. It's humbling. It's a blessing. It's what I worked for."

NFL analyst Jon Gruden called him the most poised player in the history of college football after the pick was made.

"This is a young man that has been in a no-huddle offense it's going to take him a little time to develop in the pocket," Gruden said on ESPN. "If you can find me a more poised quarterback under pressure in the history of college football show me the name because Deshaun Watson loves crunch time and it brings out the best in him. Even the game against Louisville where he threw three interceptions, he came back and beat them at the buzzer. This is a great clutch time player."

"I love this guy," Kurt Warner said on NFL Network. "I thought he was the most polished quarterback in this draft. What I love about him is you’ve seen him every scenario. You’ve seen him in the big moments. You’ve seen him after he’s made mistakes. He had to carry his team with his right arm and a lot of times that leads to mistakes. I love this move by the Texans and I love that he’s matched up with them."

Watson guided Clemson to consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, with the school's second National Championship in 2016 and compiled a 32-3 record as a starter which is the best winning percentage in school history for a quarterback. His 32 career wins as a quarterback are tied with Rodney Williams and Tajh Boyd for best in Clemson history.

Watson is a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist; finished third in the 2015 balloting with 148 first-place votes and second in 2016 with 269 first-place votes. He is the first ACC player to finish in the top three of the voting on multiple occasions. Watson is also a two-time recipient of the Davey O’Brien Award and two-time winner of the Manning Award.

Watson is third in ACC history in total offense (12,094), behind only NC State’s Philip Rivers and Boyd. He threw for 10,163 yards and 90 career touchdowns. He is first in Clemson history in career completion percentage (.674), passing efficiency (157.5) and total offense per game (318.3). In his career in the fourth quarter, he passed for 16 touchdowns with only two interceptions and believed to be the first quarterback in FBS history to pass at least 37 hours and throw 35 or more touchdown passes in the same academic year (2015-16).

I talked to #Clemson QB Deshaun Watson two nights ago. He told me the No. 1 spot he wanted to go was Houston. The #Texans trade up for him. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 28, 2017

"I'm just ready to get to Houston and work" - @DeshaunWatson4 pic.twitter.com/d8guiuJd5y — NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 28, 2017