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Deshaun Watson

#4Deshaun Watson

QB·Clemson·2016201516.2 pts line value1st Round

Deshaun Watson is a 2-year Dual-Threat QB for Clemson. Deshaun's 2015 season ranks in the 83th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 681 plays — a above-average rate for the QB.

What projects, and what doesn't · QBs · held out 2019-2025

How well one season predicts the next, measured on seasons the model never trained on. 1.00 would be perfectly predictable; 0.00 means last year told us nothing.

  • Usage share (volume)0.46
    Beats guessing the QB average by 16%. n=2,421 QB seasons
  • EPA per play (efficiency)0.05
    Not projectable — we do not forecast this. n=1,965 QB seasons
  • Total EPA (value)0.51
    Beats guessing the QB average by 20%. n=1,965 QB seasons

Across all positions, usage carries year to year at 0.47 and efficiency at 0.07. So Deshaun Watson's projection is a projection of opportunity — how much of the offense he runs through. How well he converts it is something this model does not claim to know a year in advance, and the number above is why.

2015 Production

Passing
333/491 Comp/Att4104 Pass yards35 Pass TD13 INT67.8% Comp %
Rushing
1105 Rush yards12 Rush TD207 Carries5.3 Yards/carry
Punting
1 Punts23 Punt yards23.0 Yards/punt23 Long0 Inside 20

Performance Analysis · 2015 · vs QB peers

  • Efficiency83
  • Volume100
  • Dual-Threat97
  • Consistency89
  • Clutch65
Player type
Dual-Threat QB

A genuine rushing threat who stresses defenses horizontally. Extends plays with legs and forces extra gap assignments.

Rushing threatScrambles for valueStresses defensive structure
Peer percentiles
Opponent-adjusted EPA (WEPA/play)83th %ile · above avg
Game-to-game consistency89th %ile · above avg
Key findings
  • Above-average efficiency for the QB position (83th percentile).
  • High-volume role — one of the team's most-used QBs by play share.
  • High game-to-game consistency — reliable floor each week.
  • 7 high-impact games (EPA/play > 0.4) this season — elite ceiling.
  • Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
  • Peak game: 0.72 EPA/play in Wk 12 vs Wake Forest (SP+ -5).

Historical Comparables · QB · efficiency + volume + value

Players from 2013–2025 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.

PlayerTeamWEPA/playLine valTotal EPA
Lamar JacksonLouisville0.57616.8384.9
Caleb WilliamsUSC0.62017.0415.9
Lamar JacksonLouisville0.54316.1387.6
Patrick MahomesTexas Tech0.54417.5390.0
Dwayne HaskinsOhio State0.64317.5419.0

Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.

Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week

+0.7200.72Wk 1 vs Wofford: +0.54 EPA/play1Wk 2 vs App State: +0.58 EPA/play2Wk 3 vs Louisville: +0.19 EPA/play3Wk 5 vs Notre Dame: +0.06 EPA/play5Wk 6 vs Georgia Tech: +0.39 EPA/play6Wk 7 vs Boston College: +0.59 EPA/play7Wk 8 vs Miami: +0.55 EPA/play8Wk 9 vs NC State: +0.64 EPA/play9Wk 10 vs Florida State: +0.33 EPA/play10Wk 11 vs Syracuse: +0.38 EPA/play11Wk 12 vs Wake Forest: +0.72 EPA/play12Wk 13 vs South Carolina: +0.54 EPA/play13Wk 14 vs North Carolina: +0.39 EPA/play14Wk 1 vs Alabama: +0.39 EPA/play1Wk 1 vs Oklahoma: +0.39 EPA/play1
EPA per play · x-axis: weekabove 0 = added points · below = lost
WkOpponentResultOpp SP+C/ATTPass YdsPass TDINTQBRRush YdsRush TDEPA/play
1vsWoffordW49-1018/221942096.92200.54
2vsApp StateW41-107.919/262483177.11700.58
3@LouisvilleW20-1713.221/301992244.65400.19
5vsNotre DameW24-2222.410/21842155.59310.06
6vsGeorgia TechW43-249.021/302652182.61600.39
7vsBoston CollegeW34-174.727/414203276.43210.59
8@MiamiW58-011.015/191431097.89810.55
9@NC StateW56-419.623/303835091.75410.64
10vsFlorida StateW23-1323.228/422971065.210700.33
11@SyracuseW37-27-3.935/483682170.210510.38
12vsWake ForestW33-13-4.524/353433287.54410.72
13@South CarolinaW37-323.420/272791090.711430.54
14vsNorth CarolinaW45-3720.026/422893179.113120.39
1vsAlabamaL40-4529.030/474054169.47300.39
1vsOklahomaW37-1722.716/311871168.414510.39

Usage & Situational · Pro

Snap-share proxy
Overall
56.5%
Passing plays
92.9%
Rushing plays
29.4%
Standard downs
52.4%
Passing downs
67.2%
EPA by down type
Standard downs
0.37
Passing downs
0.50
Pass / Rush EPA
0.43 / 0.39

Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).

Career · rolling EPA, game by game

Per-game EPA5-game avg
+0.870−0.022016
EPA per play · 2015 — 2016 · 30 games
SeasonTeamLine valueTotal EPA
2015Clemson
16.2
418.1
2016Clemson
14.7
410.6

Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.

EPA = expected points added (opponent-adjusted). NIL estimates are model-based ranges, not reported deals. Data: CollegeFootballData. Not betting advice.