Great players are not always great. They are just great when they have to be.
That was the case this weekend for Clemson greats Deshaun Watson and Seth Beer. With the whole world watching, Watson put on one of the best performances ever at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, while Beer made one critical play after another as the 12th-ranked Tigers took two of three games from No. 4 South Carolina.
Watson, who was 32-3 as the starting quarterback for the national champion Tigers, quieted the naysayers he had coming into his combine performance. During his on-field workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., the two-time Heisman Trophy finalist ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds, elevated 32.5 inches in the vertical jump and leaped 119 inches in the broad jump. His 40-yard time ranked third fastest among participating quarterbacks, while he was fourth in the broad jump and fifth in the vertical jump.
After showcasing his athleticism, Watson impressed with his accuracy to all parts of the field and touch on deep balls during the throwing drills. NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock gave Watson’s day at the combine high marks.
“I think this guy had a great day,” he said. “His footwork looked good mechanics-wise, I thought his accuracy was consistent and outstanding all day long. … So, I would say Watson just came in as advertised, let it rip and did everything well.”
Mayock’s colleagues felt the same way.
“Deshaun Watson, I think after a while, was starting to get damned with faint praise,” NFL Network draft analyst Charles Davis said. “He plays really well in the big games, he won a national championship, he did this — we forgot to say he’s a heck of a quarterback, a heck of a technician. We got to see that on display today and see the big arm.”
Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout with three clubs, called Watson the most impressive of the “big four” quarterbacks at the combine ahead of North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahommes and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer in that order.
“Just based off what we saw today, watching them throw the football, I gotta be honest — I thought Deshaun Watson was the most impressive of the bunch,” the NFL Network’s draft analyst said. “It was how smooth can you be, how accurate and easy did he make it look? I thought the ball had plenty of pace on it. I thought he threw with a velocity that each throw required, which is impressive to see.”
On the baseball diamond, Beer was not having a dominating performance at the plate in the three-game series against the Gamecocks, but like Watson did in the combine, he stepped up when he had to the most.
In Game 2, with South Carolina’s Jacob Olson charging to the plate with the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning, Beer easily threw him out from left field, securing the Tigers’ 8-7 victory. Earlier in the game, he made a sliding catch in left to rob the Gamecocks of sure hit, while also hitting a two-run bomb in the first inning.
In Game 3, he made several big plays in left field, and then with the Tigers down a run in the ninth, with the count full and two outs, he took Josh Reagan’s six straight breaking ball and sent it flying over the right field wall.
The home run tied the game at 3-3, and eventually sent it into extra innings, where it was another mistake by Gamecock pitching against Beer that allowed the Tigers (8-3) to win the game.
With freshman Logan Davidson on third base with one out in the top of the 11th inning, Beer stepped into the box hoping to get another opportunity. However, Tyler Haswell never gave him that chance. Haswell lost control of the baseball while trying to intentionally walk Beer and it went straight into the ground and between catcher Chris Cullen’s legs.
The baseball bounced all the way to the backstop, allowing Davidson to easily come home for the eventual game-winning run.
“I got loaded like I was getting ready to hit,” Beer said. “The guy kind of came up and got ready to throw it, and I don’t know if he was shocked. I don’t know what was going on. Maybe it was just luck or whatever. I was ready to hit in that situation and I don’t know if it took him off guard or what, but he threw it through the legs and that was a big run for us.”
It was the winning run for the Tigers, giving them a third straight series win over the Gamecocks.
After Game 3, Beer was recognized as the winner of the Bob Bradley Award as the Clemson MVP in the series, despite hitting just barely above .150 in the three-games combined. But though he was not at his best, Beer was great when he had to be the most, and that’s what makes him so great.
— Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports