Eric Watts 2024 NFL Draft Profile
The 2024 NFL Draft profiles continue to fly at you. In this one, we are taking a look at UConn’s Eric Watts. Watts may not be a stat sheet stuffer, but he brings some tools to the table that make you consider using one of those late-round picks on him potentially. What does his draft profile look like? Let’s talk about it.
I mentioned above that Watts doesn’t really wow you with the stats. Through his four years at UConn, he finished his career with 151 total tackles and 9.5 sacks, with seven of those coming in 2022. Worth noting, every year of his collegiate career, he had more assisted tackles than solo tackles. We will touch on that here in a little bit.
I wrote about Eric Watts during my Senior Bowl coverage, and on day two I thought he shined. He plays with a mean streak and the motor never seems to cool off. The feet continue to drive even when engaged in a double team if he plays inside. Watts won’t wow you with his pass rush moves, but he does a solid job in run defense. Very built body, plays strong as an ox, and uses this strength to shed his linemen. Hand placement is where you want it to be, mostly seems consistent as well.
I just don’t know how much NFL upside Watts has with his limited pass-rush repertoire. I suppose if you land in the right spot you can absorb that knowledge and work on it, but based on what I see you aren’t drafting him for his rush upside. I also wonder with his limited production as a whole in college if he will be able to take that next step forward. This EDGE class isn’t necessarily great, but I also don’t think Watts did a ton to help himself during the pre-draft process.
I *think* I like Eric Watts. He’s for sure a day-three pick and someone I would like ideally to scoop in the sixth round or so. I could never go higher than this, but I think he could eventually turn into a nice rotational piece on running-down situations. Depending on how the board falls, I could also easily pass on drafting him and making him a priority undrafted free agent. I would want Watts on my team in some capacity, though.
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