Good news: Houston Texans quarterback is a two-time Pro Bowler.
Better news: the former 2017 first-round draft pick will be under the age of 25 when his fourth NFL season kicks off.
According to Pro Football Focus, which compiled its top 25 players under the age of 25, Watson is the seventh-best player on the list.
Age at kickoff: 24 years, 11 months, 27 days
Watson isn’t without his faults — namely his penchant for holding on to the ball too long and inviting pressure upon himself — but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that he has been one of the league’s best quarterbacks over the last two seasons, ranking seventh in PFF grade among qualifiers over that period. He’s been particularly adept pushing the ball down the field, with top-five marks in passing grade and yards per attempt (14.6) on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield over the last two years. With the speed Houston now has in its wide receiver room, that figures to be something they could feature heavily in 2020.
The other players who finished ahead of Watson were QB Patrick Mahomes, G Quenton Nelson, RB Christian McCaffrey, S Derwin James, S Jamal Adams, and WR Chris Godwin.
The only other quarterback on the list was the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, who finished eighth. The fact that the Texans have one of the top three quarterbacks under the age of 25 speaks to how open the winning window is for the franchise.
