Deshaun Watson

Clemson's Deshaun Watson said skipping the Senior Bowl last week doesn't mean he doesn't want to go No. 1 overall to the Browns.

(John Bazemore)

HOUSTON, Tex. -- DeShaun Watson told NFL Network at the Super Bowl Thursday that skipping the Senior Bowl last week had nothing to do with the Browns.

Watson would've played for the South team and have been coached by Hue Jackson and his staff all week.

Some had speculated that he passed on the opportunity to work with Hue Jackson and his staff all week because he didn't want to go to Cleveland No. 1 overall. The Browns also have the No. 12 overall pick.

Not so, Watson said, adding that he'll throw later this month at the NFL combine, which begins later this month in Indianapolis.

"That's wrong, false information," Watson told NFL Network. "I talked to Hue Jackson. We had a great conversation right after the national championship game and I told him, 'Hey, this is what I'm thinking about,' and he understood everything. And then I talked with my family. I talked with my agent, my trainer, all the coaches at Clemson, and it was just best for me to go ahead and get started in the draft process.

"I moved to California, so it was just a lot moving from Georgia to California and then trying to go back to the Senior Bowl and then come back and train, then come to the Super Bowl. There's so much going on. I just want to get healthy and get my draft process started."

Asked what he'd tell his doubters, he said, "watch the tape."

Jackson also told cleveland.com that he talked to Watson about his decision not to participate.

"We had a great conversation,'' he said. "I get it. I understand where he is and I'm sure he understood what we wanted to accomplish. Again, he's got to do what's best for him. You only get drafted one time, and I respect that."

He said Watson's choice wouldn't reflect poorly in Jackson's eyes.

"I think he's a high-character guy,'' Jackson said. "I think he's made of the right stuff. I don't think there's anything malicious about his decision. I just think he's like a lot of guys who have made this decision to do what's best for them.''

At the Senior Bowl, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said it would be a huge mistake for the Browns to pass on Watson.

"I'm just telling you if they pass on Deshaun Watson, they're passing on Michael Jordan,'' he said. "I'm just telling you. I don't know what the heck I'm talking about. I'm just an old funky college coach. (But) Deshaun Watson is the best -- by a long shot.''

He added, "it's an easy decision. He's a changer in every area, locker room, culture, free agency, fans, community. You name it, he changes everything.''

He said Watson, the national championship MVP, would be a great match for Jackson.

"It would be awesome,'' he said. It would be easy and he'll figure that out. It will be the easiest player he's ever coached. I'm sure he's coached some good ones and so I have I, but he's simple. Very low-maintenance, humble, same guy every day and always ready. He comes to every meeting prepared. That's how you change things. You change a culture -- for me it's through discipline and recruiting and staffing and all of that stuff. For them, it's decision-making. It's who you pick.''

The Browns are considering the top quarterbacks in the draft, and are considering a trade for Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.