Clemson QB Deshaun Watson passes on Senior Bowl

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, with a national championship trophy on his resume after leading Clemson to a thrilling win over Alabama, declined an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl.

Watson announced last week that he would forgo his senior season at Clemson and enter the 2017 NFL Draft, and he now will let his MVP performance in the College Football Playoff title game to stand out to impress NFL teams.

Watson completed 36 of 56 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns while adding 43 yards and another score on the ground to account for 463 total yards in the 35-31 win over Alabama. Watson delivered the go-ahead score with one second remaining on a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow, sealing Clemson's first national championship victory since 1981.

Phil Savage, executive director of the Senior Bowl, confirmed the news about Watson's decision on Wednesday.

"I can confirm that @DeshaunWatson4 will not be participating in the 68th Annual #REESES @seniorbowl. Players begin arriving on Sunday," Savage wrote on Twitter.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Watson is rated 14th overall and the second-ranked quarterback in the 2017 draft class behind only North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, according to NFLDraftScout.com.

The Cleveland Browns, who have No. 1 and No. 12 overall picks, will miss out on a chance to see Watson up close in practice.

Browns head coach Hue Jackson and his staff will head to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Sunday to work with the South team. The game will be played Jan. 28 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Watson, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, will now focus on training for the NFL Combine, which begins Feb. 28 in Indianapolis.

"Watson is a winner with the make-up and intangibles you want at the position,'' Dane Brugler of CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout.com told Cleveland.com. "And physically, his arm and mobility are great foundation traits. But he had several areas as a pocket passer that require development, most importantly his ball placement downfield. Opinions from NFL teams are all over the map on his draft 'value' so all eyes will be on him throughout the process.''

The 21-year-old Watson threw for a career-high 4,593 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2016, adding 624 rushing yards and nine rushing scores. He was awarded the 2016 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Watson finished his three-year college career with 10,168 passing yards and 90 touchdowns along with 1,929 yards and 26 scores on the ground.