Deshaun Watson is the best quarterback in the NFL right now. Check the numbers.

Remember when Deshaun Watson was the favorite to become the top pick in the NFL draft?

It wasn’t that long ago.

However, as I write this the first quarterback taken in the draft is getting prepared to make his first career start for the Chicago Bears. Yes, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky – not Watson, who was selected 12th by the Houston Texans out of Clemson – went No. 2 in April.

It’s not yet time for buyer’s remorse in Chicago as we have to see what the artist formerly known as “Mitch” can do, but those in Cleveland have to be kicking themselves right now.

Watson, who started the season backing up Tom Savage (isn’t that the guy who starred in “The Wonder Years”?), has breathed life into a Texans offense that looked dead on arrival to start the season.

In fact, Watson is gaining steam with each game.

On Sunday night, Watson completed 16 of 31 passes for 261 yards and five touchdowns in Houston’s 42-34 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the league’s only undefeated team that has proven to be a well-oiled machine through five weeks. He also ran for 31 yards.

It was Watson’s second straight week with five total touchdowns as he threw for four and ran for another in a 57-14 win over the Tennessee Titans the previous game.

In five games – four of them starts – Watson has completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,072 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. According to ESPN stats, Watson has the highest total quarterback rating (85.6) in the league.

Yes, he’s the best right now.

The only rookie quarterback to have started every game this season is the Browns’ DeShone Kizer, who has completed just over 50 percent of his passes for 851 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’s dead last in total quarterback ranking.

Ouch.

Cleveland got Kizer in the second half of the second round of the draft after using the top pick on defensive end Myles Garrett.

After all, defensive ends are what you build a team around, right? Uh, no. Just ask the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans, who both are falling apart as injuries to quarterbacks Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota have left them hapless.

It all starts with a signal caller. I think we – aside from Cleveland – know that by now.

Watson actually was the third quarterback chosen, as the Chiefs took Patrick Mahomes out of Texas Tech 10th. He has yet to play a down as Alex Smith has played better than ever at that position.

It should be noted that drafting a quarterback is not an exact science. If it was, Tom Brady wouldn’t have been drafted in the fifth round way back in the day.

However, as I wrote leading up to the draft, there’s much to like about Watson – from his skills on the field to his conduct off it.

The guy has all the physical talent, and he’s proven to be a guy who keeps his composure no matter the situation.

Remember when Watson was asked to leave an Alabama bar following the Tigers’ win over the Crimson Tide in the national championship game? There was no ugly scene as Watson kept his wits and simply took the high road by leaving.

Composure is an attribute that translates both on and off the field. There’s a certain Carolina Panthers quarterback who could learn from the young man from Clemson.

You don’t see Watson pout at news conferences and he’s never been in the spotlight for making sexist remarks to a female reporter. Hey, Cam, are you listening?

While many in the NFL are characters – some good and some bad – this guy has shown character. Now, his professional approach is showing on the field at the biggest stage of football.

In a world where projections sometimes outweigh resumes – part of why Trubisky was the first quarterback drafted despite a limited sample size in college – it’s important to look at intangibles.

Watson is a winner.

And while teams such as Cleveland and Chicago passed on him, the Texans should be applauded for having the foresight to move up in the draft to select him.

Houston was believed by many to be a quarterback away from seriously contending for a Super Bowl title. And while it may be a little early with Watson being a rookie – and the fact that a dominant defense took a couple blows Sunday night with what appear to be long-term injuries to J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus – you can expect the Texans to be factor in the coming years and likely beyond.

As for Cleveland and Chicago? They are light years away from sniffing a Super Bowl.

Watson is already proving that he was No. 1 all along.

This story was originally published October 9, 2017 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Deshaun Watson is the best quarterback in the NFL right now. Check the numbers.."