Contemplating all the things huge defensive deal with Desmond Watson confirmed throughout Florida’s Professional Day, his most spectacular feat could have been escaping the apply facility with out anybody noticing.
The 6-foot-6, 464-pound professional prospect one way or the other slipped workforce personnel and media members following his exercise in entrance of NFL scouts Thursday.
Watson’s teammates and coaches spoke on his behalf, all of them raving concerning the numbers he put up whereas making an attempt to persuade somebody to make him the heaviest draft choose in NFL historical past subsequent month.
“He strikes method higher than anyone thought he would at his measurement,” fellow defensive deal with Joey Slackman mentioned. “I do not see why a workforce would not give him an opportunity. He is a soccer participant via and thru. I’d need that man on my workforce.”
Watson repped 225 kilos a whopping 36 instances, which topped any bench-press efficiency at this 12 months’s NFL Mix. He coated the 40-yard sprint in 5.93 seconds and recorded 25 inches within the vertical bounce.
He seemed winded throughout place drills, not all that stunning given Florida had simply 4 defensive linemen within the rotation. However his measurement and power — his weight, actually — stood out throughout maybe an important day in his skilled journey.
“Dez, clearly, he is a unicorn,” Gators coach Billy Napier mentioned. “You may go the remainder of your profession and you may by no means be round a man that is that stature. And then you definately get to know Dez. He is extraordinarily clever. He is acquired an incredible humorousness. He was an incredible teammate.
“Clearly confirmed up in fine condition in the present day, so he’ll get his shot, and I am hoping he’ll benefit from it.”
Watson stepping on the dimensions was as eye-popping as his bench press. He was listed at 449 kilos final season, up from 435 kilos as a junior and 415 kilos as a sophomore. He is needed to handle his weight since he first stepped foot on campus in 2021, when then-Florida coach Dan Mullen referred to as him “a 385-pound athlete.”
“He is had quite a few nutritionists, quite a few place coaches, quite a few power coaches, and I feel this previous 12 months we in all probability executed the most effective we’ve got,” Napier mentioned. “And I believed he performed his finest soccer of his profession. On the whole, I feel he is discovered so much about habit-building, self-discipline.
“Finally, the man’s body rating would point out that he’ll be an enormous — that quantity’s at all times going to be fairly massive. He is 6-foot-6 and simply the density, the bone construction. It is only a massive man.”
Watson by no means missed a recreation in his 4 seasons in Gainesville. His highlights, although, are few and much between. He rag-dolled South Florida operating again Brian Battie in 2022 and ripped the ball out of South Carolina operating again Jaheim Bell‘s arms for a pressured fumble and a fumble return later that 12 months. Watson in all probability would have scored had quarterback Spencer Rattler missed an open-field deal with.
Watson, the last word space-eater, completed his collegiate profession with 63 tackles and 1½ sacks. He additionally carried the ball for a 1-yard achieve and lined up at fullback for just a few extra performs in opposition to Tulane within the Gasparilla Bowl in December.
“Dez is a extremely proficient, athletic man,” Florida defensive again Trikweze Bridges mentioned. “Everyone knows that. All of us see it.”
However will it’s sufficient for an NFL workforce to spend a draft choose on him? The heaviest NFL gamers ever drafted have been 380 kilos: offensive linemen Trent Brown (Florida, 2015) and Daniel Faalele (Minnesota, 2022). Watson has them by almost 100 kilos.
“Dez got here out right here and actually shocked lots of the scouts, particularly when he ran his 40,” defensive deal with Cam Jackson mentioned. “I really feel like he shocked lots of people. A number of massive guys cannot transfer the way in which Dez can transfer.
“He is working to get the load down. I really feel like a workforce goes to take a shot on him. If I used to be them, I’d. You do not discover too many nostril tackles shifting like him. Dez is an enormous, disruptive man, and he places within the work.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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