Sam Darnold and Deshaun Watson have operated on different ends of the spectrum throughout their young NFL careers.
Darnold has struggled in his first three seasons with the Jets, completing less than 60% of his passes and tossing only 45 touchdowns to 39 interceptions. This past season was Darnold’s worst yet, as he passed for a mere 2,208 yards and nine touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 12 games.
Watson, meanwhile has developed into one of football’s elite quarterbacks. He shined for a lowly Texans team last season, throwing for a career-high 4,823 yards and 33 touchdowns to go along with a 70.2% completion percentage and only seven interceptions.
Yet, for some reason, ESPN’s Todd McShay does not see much of a difference between the two.
Watson has been linked to the Jets for weeks, as he’s made it clear that he wants out of Houston. The 25-year-old formally requested a trade weeks ago, and New York has been labeled as an attractive landing spot.
Yet McShay, appearing on ESPN’s “First Draft” podcast Wednesday, suggested that the Jets should avoid offering a haul for Watson because he’s only “slightly better” than Darnold.
“I don’t think you’re getting a huge upgrade,” McShay said. “If I’m the Jets sitting at No. 2, I’m saying, ‘You know what? I love Deshaun. He’s a really good player. I might even think he’s slightly better than Sam, but if Sam’s content and Sam wants to help us build this thing, we have picks two and 23 in the first round this year; 34, 66 and 87. So, five picks in the first 87. That should be at least four starters that you’re getting right there and two really impact starters with that second and 23rd overall pick.
“‘And then, by the way, we have two first-rounders next year, a first-rounder in the second and a first-rounder in the third.’ So, you’re talking about four first-rounders, two second-rounders and three third-rounders. Count those up. I mean, you’re building half of a roster right there in the next two drafts.”
McShay has long been a proponent of Darnold. He defended him last offseason, saying that he was “more talented than Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow coming out of college.” That line of thinking did not seem too far-fetched at the time given that the jury was still out on all three signal-callers, but Mayfield led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020 while Murray took a big leap forward in his second season. Burrow impressed before his rookie season got cut short due to injury.
It’s one thing to argue that the Jets should hold onto their draft capital and build around Darnold, but McShay’s notion that Darnold and Watson are comparable on any scale is preposterous. Watson has been to the playoffs twice and has produced at an elite clip throughout his career. Darnold, meanwhile, is more known for his inconsistencies and turnovers.
There is still time for Darnold to turn his career around, and he might get that chance with the Jets in 2021. But any Darnold vs. Watson debate is a pointless one. There is no doubt who the better player is.