College football fans tried to tell you about Deshaun Watson

The Houston Texans are 3-2 with Deshaun Watson as their starter, with those losses by one score each to the defending champion Patriots and 5-1 Chiefs. He’s on pace to set a new rookie passing touchdowns record. The former Clemson star has a real shot at Rookie of the Year, the only QB who can say that.

And college football fans are taking a victory lap about all of it. Search Twitter every time he scores, and you’ll find someone who’s not even a Clemson fan bragging about knowing all along. I mean, Dabo Swinney called him Michael Jordan before the draft, which is a step beyond the usual expression of confidence in a former player, even for Dabo.

Let’s roll the clock back to the 2017 draft. College fans could not believe Watson was being talked about as the second-, third-, or fourth-best QB in this group. We liked Texas Tech’s Pat Mahomes and the little bit we got to see of UNC’s Mitchell Trubisky, plus most of the others, but Watson was the one we banged the table for, to use Mike Mayock’s lingo.

Receipts:

Can you believe Deshaun Watson — the guy who led the Clemson Tigers to their second-ever title and rang up 941 total yards in two games against the Alabama Crimson Tide — is highly thought of by college fans, even more so than the one-year starter who’s still rumored to be a potential No. 1 overall pick? Can’t wrap my mind around this.

I know what you’re about to say, NFL fan.

“But Watson’s arm lacks velocity.”

He had enough velocity to sling 825 yards in two games against Nick Saban, alongside another 116 via his foot velocity.

“But a promising statistical system rates him as likely to be a career backup, well behind Trubisky and Miami’s Brad Kaaya.”

For the numerically inclined:

825

+ 116

= 941

“But I heard Clemson runs one of those lil point-and-click, IKEA, spread gimmicks that don’t work up here in [Vince McMahon voice] the En Eff El.”

A. I mean, it’s a modern college offense.

B. Nine-hundred-and-forty-one of them things.

“Stop box-score scouting based off one game.”

He had many other good games.

“Stop box-score scouting in general.”

Listen, neither you nor I know how to diagnose footwork and whatever as well as we’d like to, most likely. So let’s just stay in our lanes. I’ve watched him with my delighted eyeballs in real football games, but I’m also not very smart.

“But he threw all those interceptions.”

OK. Yeah! He did throw a bunch.

His 30 INTs over the last two seasons came in 1,070 attempts, or one every 35.7 throws. That’s about the same as DeShone Kizer’s 36.6, a step behind Mahomes’ 46.6, and well behind Kaaya’s 67.5 and Trubisky’s single-season 74.5.

But!

Watson also played a far harder schedule than his peers.

Receipts there, too:

Pulling together that chart left me with roughly zero doubts about Watson, for two reasons. He had already been as tested as a non-pro QB possibly could’ve been, and that damn gauntlet meant all of his numbers had to be recalculated in your mind.

We’re not always right, but when we are — hey, every team who passed on Russell Wilson — they’re gonna hear about it for years.