“They’d Be Passing on Michael Jordan”: When Browns Were Warned Against Bypassing Deshaun Watson in 2017 NFL Draft
· Yahoo Sports
Michael Jordan was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the third pick in the 1984 NBA draft. According to former team executive Keith Brown, who drafted the icon, they had gone against the norm and picked a guard with their high pick, when the norm was to go for centers at the time.
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Entering 2017, the Cleveland Browns were faced with a similar kind of situation with their No. 1 pick. They had a slam-dunk quarterback option ready in a young Deshaun Watson from Clemson. His college head coach, Dabo Swinney, made sure to point out who Cleveland would be missing out on if they had other plans.
“I asked Swinney in ‘17 at the Senior Bowl what if the Browns passed on Watson at No.1,” Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot shared in a recent X post. “He said ‘they’d be passing on Michael Jordan.’”
In 2015, Watson set the record for most offensive yards in the National Championship game, all against the best defense in college football at the time. The Clemson Tigers lost this one, but won the coveted title in 2016. Watson declared for the draft with a total of 10,168 passing yards and 90 touchdowns, and was easily among the best prospects going pro that year.
He was a great target for every QB-needy team who had the top picks in the draft. Cleveland was one of them.
The Browns’ QB room had Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler and Kevin Hogan. Kessler had started in the previous season in place of an injured Robert Griffin III, but could not hold his ground. This was an underdeveloped room, but the Browns chose to go for Myles Garrett. Deshaun Watson was drafted by the Houston Texans at No. 12.
The Browns went 0-16 that year, after shuffling the starter jobs between Kessler, Hogan, and rookie DeShone Kizer. Neither QB was with the team after that season. On the other hand, Watson had a decent rookie year with the Texans, but racked up 4,165 yards in the next season.
Ironically, Cleveland’s executive vice president of football operations, Sashi Brown, didn’t downplay the need at quarterback when they skipped on drafting one on the first day of the 2017 draft.
“We obviously value the position, but we don’t want to force it,” he said. “We’re in certain positions. We obviously have some guys here on the roster. We want to give them an opportunity, and we’ll continue to look, but we wanted to make sure that we got players that we felt good about.”
The Chicago Bulls in 1984, however, had a better approach. Jordan ended up creating an entire chapter about himself in the NBA books with his career, which saw him winning six NBA Championships for Chicago.
Watson is no Jordan, but he could have set up Cleveland for a similar kind of success if the team got him earlier.
“It just kind of took on a life of its own,” Swinney said of his bold take. “I just meant he’s a winner and a killer like Michael Jordan… He’s got a will to win that is rare. And you only see that every now and then. And when I think of that, I think of Jordan, who would claw your eyeballs out to win. He’s just a winner, and that’s what Deshaun is.”
The Browns made up for their flunking that opportunity by trading for him in 2022 for a whopping $230 million, five-year contract. However, the franchise was in for a tough turn of events this time too, because the QB is yet to live up to the standards he set for himself during his Houston Texans stint. Watson has yet to play a full season for Cleveland, and was out for the whole of 2025 due to an injury.
But maybe, just maybe, things can change in 2026.
Can Deshaun Watson leave a mark this season as a Brown?
“If Watson leads the Browns to a successful season (over .500), he will be a contender for Comeback Player of the Year,” ESPN’s Tony Grossi claimed. “I don’t believe anyone in the league office is rooting against that.”
Sports Illustrated also advocated for the same, claiming that new head coach Todd Monken is “far more accustomed to working with a quarterback of Watson’s skill set than former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski was.”
Unlike Jordan, who was a constant presence and a regular feature in championships, Watson’s struggles with injuries have affected his chances at trying to recreate a similar arc. This year, he is facing a make-or-break season.
Per his contract, this is his last year with the Browns, and there hasn’t been any notable chatter around an extension. If the QB wants to reclaim any of the glory from his past, he has to ensure a great season this year.
Deshaun Watson currently seems to be a lock for the starting job at Cleveland, having impressed coaches with his recovery and athleticism. Whether fans will get to see the QB unleash his elite self during the season, however, is still in doubt.
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