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Xavier Watts 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Xavier Watts 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts is next on deck for the 2025 NFL Draft profile series. This is one of my favorite players in the class, if you can’t tell once you read the stock notes below. Let’s jump into it because Watts has one trait that really won’t take long to explain.
NFL Draft Stock Report: Week 1, Week 8, College Football Playoff First Round, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, National Championship
Watts, 23, was a four star wide receiver prospect coming out of high school. This isn’t anything new, as Brian Kelly notoriously recruited wide receivers to play defensive back for him when he was the coach there. The Omaha, Nebraska, native was the second ranked player in the state and 46th ranked receiver in the 2020 cycle.
Again, this isn’t a new practice by the Irish. It’s something Brian Kelly really believes in. Cam Hart was a converted wide receiver, too, and we found out last year that he’s pretty good. We got the same thing going here with Watts.
No Combine workout for the Notre Dame safety, but I don’t overly care. When you have 13 interceptions over the last two years, a workout isn’t super mandatory. He did check in at 6-foot, 204. We just don’t have any testing stuff to work with outside of the measurements.
In 2023, Watts won the Nagurski Trophy and was listed as a First-team Associated Press All-American. Ditto for the 2024 season. It’s the ball skills that stand above everything else. Watts isn’t a burner, but he knows how to play the ball and usually finds his way to being in the right spot. Has plus instincts for someone who hasn’t been playing the position very long.
For being a former wide receiver, I think he tackles very well too. 13 missed tackles last year isn’t an elite number, but considering he’s still new to the position, it’s not terrible. The other thing about Watts, he never gets in trouble in the penalty department. For a guy who creates so many takeaways, I don’t recall a single time watching him that he gave up a bad penalty on the other end of things. He’s best used as a deep safety who can cover up sins on the back end.
I have a second round grade on Xavier Watts. I believe he will be a high end starter for someone. Just isn’t elite athletically that prevents him from truly being a blue chip ridiculous stud type of player, but I really like him and hae no problem turning the card in here.
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