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See how many Twitter followers your favorite rookies have gained since the 2017 NFL Draft

By Alex Butler
Former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson walks the red carpet prior to the 2017 NFL Draft on April 27 at the NFL Draft Theater in Philadelphia, PA. File photo by Derik Hamilton/UPI
1 of 3 | Former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson walks the red carpet prior to the 2017 NFL Draft on April 27 at the NFL Draft Theater in Philadelphia, PA. File photo by Derik Hamilton/UPI | License Photo

July 19 (UPI) -- Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is the most followed NFL rookie on Twitter.

Analysts from Fanatics.com researched the most followed college football prospects, before and after they were drafted, to come to several conclusions.

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Watson, who starred at Clemson and capped off his college career with a National Championship win against Alabama, had 499,630 Twitter followers before the 2017 NFL Draft.

After being drafted with the No. 12 overall pick by the Houston Texans, his followers shot up to 613,924. That represented a 20.5 percent increase in followers. Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt had the biggest increase in Twitter followers after being drafted. Watt's following increased by 80.6 percent after he was the No. 30 overall pick in the draft. He now has more than 74,000 fans on the social media platform.

Former Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton also experienced a huge bump in his Twitter following. Charlton, who appropriately picked up an offseason endorsement deal with Taco Bueno, has 79 percent more followers than he had before the draft. The No. 28 overall pick now has more than 73,000 followers.

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Before the draft, Watson, Cleveland Browns defender Jabrill Peppers, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, New York Jets safety Jamal Adams, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Tennessee Titans defensive back Adoree' Jackson, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Miami Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster and Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson were the Top-10 most followed prospects before the draft.

Since the April event, McMillan and Lawson have moved on of the top-10.

Watt moved into the No. 6 spot on that list while Charlton now ranks as the No. 7 most-followed player after the draft.

Watt, the brother of superstar Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, gained the most female Twitter followers after the draft compared to other rookies. He increased his female Twitter following by 7,000, according to the study.

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Watson gained more than 114,000 followers after the draft. Ten players earned more than 20,000 followers apiece after being drafted. Before the draft, No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett averaged 1,276 new followers per day. He averaged 996 new daily followers after being picked by the Browns. Watson went from 233 new daily followers to 282 new daily followers after the draft.

It takes the combined following for all of the Browns' new draft picks to surpass Watson's followers alone. Charlton's post-draft Twitter following is more than the combined followers for Adams, the Green Bay Packers' Kevin King and Josh Jones and Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

The information for the study was gathered on April 9 and May 8.

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