Deshaun Watson: No Idea Why Bears Weren't More Interested Before 2017 NFL Draft

When Deshaun Watson left Clemson, he was a national champion, a two-time Heisman finalist, and one of the winningest and most decorated quarterbacks in college football history.

Yet when the Chicago Bears traded up to the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, they selected Mitchell Trubisky—a quarterback from Watson's own conference with less than half of his accomplishments. In fact, it didn't appear as if the Bears gave any serious consideration to taking Watson. 

That decision has proved worse than it even looked in the moment. Trubisky will likely head out of Chicago this offseason carrying a bust label, while Watson has become one of the game's best quarterbacks. Speaking to reporters ahead of this week's game against the Bears, Watson said he has "no idea" why they did not show more interest in the predraft process.

Watson added that his interaction with the Bears during that period was minimal beyond an initial meeting at the combine.

It's hard to see any particular reason why the Bears refused to do their due diligence. Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes were both extensively vetted ahead of the draft, so much so that Mahomes believed he'd be headed to Chicago. Kalyn Kahler of Bleacher Report reported the Bears told Mahomes he was their top pick at quarterback in the class.

While Mahomes has developed into perhaps the single most gifted quarterback in NFL history, he also came with a lesser resume than Watson coming out of college. 

There is no obvious answer here. Neither Mahomes nor Trubisky are demonstratively bigger or taller than Watson. While Mahomes may have the strongest arm in the sport, Watson's is plenty strong—on par if not better than Trubisky's—and he had a history of throwing beautiful passes in the highest-leverage situations in college football.

The lack of interest is confounding, and as the Bears likely search again for their quarterback of the future, it may be enough to cost general manager Ryan Pace a second shot of being trusted to find a franchise star.