Pick Your Prospect: Deshaun Watson vs. Mitchell Trubisky

theScore's Pick Your Prospect series takes an in-depth, head-to-head look at some of the top players leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft.

Positions
QB - Watson vs. Trubisky
RB - Fournette vs. McCaffrey
WR - Davis vs. Williams
TE - Howard vs. Njoku
DL - Garrett vs. Thomas
S - Adams vs. Hooker

Watson vs. Trubisky

Two quarterbacks, each considered by some analysts to be the top passing prospect in the draft.

One boasts a 35-3 record as a starter, won two conference titles, and capped his collegiate career by throwing the pass that won a national championship.

The other has a mere 13 starts to his name.

Of course, it's not as simple as merely assessing the two prospects' experience and success and projecting that to the NFL. NFL teams must peer into the future and decide which player has traits better-suited to the ever-evolving pro game.

Let's break down where they stand now.

Arm Strength

Both players have the requisite arm strength to make all throws demanded by standard NFL offenses, but Trubisky has a slight edge in the category.

Advantage: Trubisky

Accuracy/Anticipation

Trubisky displayed impressive accuracy in his time with the Tarheels, completing 68 percent of his passes as a junior (a figure that is diminished by a 13-for-33 game played in an actual hurricane). Trubisky's mechanics are ideal most of the time and he displays flashes of excellent touch on his passes, but it's worrisome that he shows a tendency to let his mechanics break down and accuracy suffers when under pressure.

Watson is often criticized for accuracy issues and his turnover numbers suggest it's a major problem. Indeed, the tape reveals he has a penchant for unforced errors, particularly in the red zone.

But it must be noted that many of Watson's interceptions were due to poor decision-making, rather than missed targets. That's not necessarily a flattering distinction - an interception thrown for any reason is still an interception - but there is reason to believe Watson's turnover numbers could decrease if he stops forcing the ball to receivers who aren't open.

Advantage: Trubisky

Mental Processing

Both Watson and Trubisky played in simplified college offenses that rarely required them to make multiple or difficult reads. Each must improve his processing in the NFL.

One would expect Watson's significant edge in game experience to lead to evidence that his field vision is more advanced than Trubisky's, but that's not the case. Watson's field vision is wildly inconsistent, and no FBS quarterback threw more picks than his 30 over the past two seasons.

Watson threw 17 interceptions in 15 games as a junior (many of them at highly inopportune times), an average of one turnover for every 34 passing attempts. By comparison, Trubisky was picked off once every 74.5 passes despite generally being more aggressive in attacking defenses down the field.

Advantage: Trubisky

Pocket Presence

Watson has a tendency to sense pressure that isn't there and take off running, something NFL coaches will likely want to eliminate from his game. Too often, Watson ran himself into a sack or missed seeing an open receiver downfield because he bailed from a clean pocket.

Trubisky also demonstrated problems with pressure, allowing his mechanics to break down as defenders closed in on him.

We'll call this a draw.

Advantage: Draw

Athleticism/Frame

Watson and Trubisky each stand an identical 6-foot-2 and only one pound separates them, with Trubisky weighing in at 222 pounds to Watson's 221. Watson's hands are a quarter of a inch bigger, but both players' paws pass all standard size thresholds.

The two possess almost identical speed, too, with Watson running the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the scouting combine, one one-hundredth of a second faster than Trubisky managed.

Watson carried the ball far more frequently in college, rushing for 1,105 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and a dozen touchdowns as a sophomore, then following it up with 629 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns as a junior. In Trubisky's lone season as a starter, he rushed for 308 yards (3.3 yards per carry) and five touchdowns.

Neither prospect is Cam Newton in the open field, and both possesses the athleticism necessary to scramble for first downs when needed, but Watson gets the edge here.

Advantage: Watson

Overall Comparison

The choice between Watson and Trubisky may be best illustrated with a classic game show conundrum. Do you take the prize you know, or opt instead for the mystery prize behind Door No. 2?

Watson is an excellent prospect and will likely be a league-average starter at minimum, but it's difficult to argue that he possesses any special traits beyond the amorphous notion that he's a "winner."

Trubisky's range of outcomes is far wider. There's a real chance his flaws will become magnified once teams have more tape on him, but there is also a chance he's an ascending talent who is only scratching the surface of what he's capable of.