Joseph's Gems: UConn's Watts has the Makings of a Premium Edge
The Edge Rusher is a Ball of Clay that simply needs to be Molded
By JosephR
About 3 weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and I am steadily chipping away at this defensive class, which is a tough cookie. Not too many controversial takes with the offense this year I'm afraid... *Cough* Drake Maye will be a bust Johnathan Krim *Cough* But with the defense, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. From the high-cut edge class, to the "is every cornerback in this class good"? Hell, even Brian and I are ready for you all to lambast us on the DL Video coming up. But prospecting doesn't stop, not until this year's Mr. Irrelevant gets called. Joseph Gem's is back for Part II.
Today, we are featuring UConn's Eric Watts.
Eric Watts hails from Sumter, SC as a weak side defensive end in a 4-3 system. His combination of size and speed made him the 29th-best prospect in the state. Ranked as a 3-Star athlete by 24/7 and a 2-Star by Rivals.com, he committed to Connecticut in 2018, which was his only significant offer. With the makings of an NFL-ready frame, he contributed immediately, playing in all but 2 games during his time at UConn lining up from 5-tech to 3-tech. He would finish his college career with 12 sacks and 105 total pressures. Watts profiles a rusher who leans on converting speed to power to knock the opposing offensive lineman back. He has very little in the way of tools and rush plans at this stage of his career which is very concerning.
Where does Eric Watts fall in this year's Edge Class? Honestly that would depend on who you ask. Some teams who met with Watts want him to put on more weight and move inside, others believe he's fine where he's at. Add in the question of whether he plays from a 2-point or 3-point stance is another quandary as well. If I had to truly take a position, he's probably somewhere between the #11 and #15 in this year's class.
So with that being said, is Eric Watts a Gem? We're going to find out, but in case some of you guys are new to the series, let's go over "What's a Gem"?
Size - Adequate height and weight for the position (Within my parameters but with historical precedents, more on that later)
RAS - Must be able to compete at the NFL Level
Production - Gotta be a stat sheet stuffer.
Competition - Power 5 vs Group of 5 vs FCS and below, it matters.
Gems have to check at least 3 out of 4 of those boxes. If a player checks all 4, consider him SOLID GOLD as Certified by your favorite "GM-ologist" (Get it?)
Size
Watts checked in at a lengthy 6'6 and 274lbs, but the length doesn't stop there, as he has 35 3/4 in. arms. Whether you knew Watts' name before the Combine or not, once that arm measurement came in, he was instantly on your board. As I mentioned, some may want him to play inside and put on some weight, but others are fine with where he's at. Check.
RAS
Now here's where it gets interesting. A lot of NFL talent evaluators thought Eric Watts was going to blow it out of the water at the Combine. He almost did if it weren't for his poor agility numbers and less-than-ideal bench. I find myself in an awkward position guys, as I feel Watts should get no check here. But since Gems relies on achieving 3 out of the 4 categories I will give him a check here as he did score Great in 3 out of 4 categories on the scoresheet. Let's hope Watts just had a bad day. Double Check.
Production
Watts contributed immediately for the Huskies and only missed two games in his career. So 12 sacks from 46 out of 48 possible games seems more than underwhelming. Watts really popped up on the radar his Junior year when he got 8 of those 12, but then effectively laid an egg his Senior year. No Check.
Competition
I do want to give credit where credit is due, Watts earned sacks against Michigan, N.C. State, Boston College, and Liberty during his Junior year which was his best season. However, with UConn currently being an Independent they are free to schedule opponents where they can be competitive, which lately hasn't been the most premier teams in college football. With the pedigree that Watts possesses it's alarming that he didn't succeed more often against lower levels of competition. No Check.
Certification
Based on my findings, UConn's Eric Watts is NOT a Gem, but rather, "Slightly Included". Despite this, I still give Watts a 4th Round Grade.
Would the Packers be interested?
Despite Watts not achieving Gem status. The Packers were indeed in attendance at UConn's Pro Day. There was only one other notable athlete there, OG Christian Haynes (My #1 True Guard and Top 50 Grade). Could Brian Gutekunst have only been there for Haynes and not Watts? Possibly, we'll likely never know. But I'm sure he watched intently to see what Watts could do with that length and speed, you don't routinely see guys of that size running faster than 4.7, and based on my research he would be tied with Montez Sweat for longest arms in the league for the position at 35.75 inches. With the Packers possibly needing an additional edge to add to new DC Jeff Hafley's scheme, the Packers could develop Watts for the future. I've always said that small school prospects have the most to gain from getting into an NFL environment. If he can get stronger and learn to use his hands more than just for a quick bull rush/rip, there lies the ground work for a guy who could be very good.
First time for everything right? I bet you guys never expected a non-Gem to be featured, I have high hopes though should Watts become a Packer. Gems will be back next week as we continue to march towards the Draft.
#GPG
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Joseph has been an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers since 1997, citing an affinity for dairy products during his childhood and his favorite color, green. Born in Jacksonville, FL, Joseph currently is an Active Duty servicemember in the U.S. Armed Forces. Joseph considers himself a lifelong fan of the game of football, competing since his youth well into adulthood. When it comes to the Pack, Joseph is particularly impassioned about the NFL Draft and collegiate scouting process, and will contribute regularly on CHTV.com leading to that year's upcoming Draft. You can follow him on Twitter at @joeyreyallday.
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Comments (16)
TKWorldWide
April 05, 2024 at 04:18 pm
How common is “long arms: bad bench”?
Vachio
April 05, 2024 at 05:37 pm
People use it as an excuse so often, hardly anyone even thinks to question it anymore. Even if it doesn't hold up under the slightest scrutiny.
Coldworld
April 05, 2024 at 06:44 pm
This is an old chestnut. It’s long been thought logically linked, but difficult to identify a clear statistical relationship. Recent suggests that arm length is a factor generally through the impact of increased fatigue.
“It is intuitive that 1-RM strength in the bench press should correlate to the angle of lowest isometric force production. To complete a successful attempt, a lifter must move the weight through the ‘sticking point’ in order to achieve the elbow angle of 120 degrees, a point of greater isometric force production, and from there, finish the lift (3). Lifters who have longer arm spans will thus have a greater total distance to push the bar in order to reach the 120 degrees angle of elbow flexion. Thus, longer arm length could potentially be disadvantageous in the bench press lift.”
….
“Based upon these data it would appear that in a state of induced pre-fatigue, arm span is a significant predictor of 1-RM performance in the bench press for female collegiate track and field throwers. Though previous research has not demonstrated similar findings, these findings did not represent data obtained from fatigued subjects. It would appear plausible that the effects of arm span on the bench press may only become manifest in situations of fatigue.”
“Relationship of Arm Span to the Effects of Prefatigue on Performance in the Bench Press”
David M. Bellar, Department of Kinesiology, University of Louisiana Lafayette, Lafayette LA; Lawrence W. Judge, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN; Tiffany J. Patrick, Department of Kinesiology, University of Louisiana Lafayette, Lafayette LA; Erin L. Gilreath, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN
TKWorldWide
April 05, 2024 at 08:30 pm
Yowza! You are bringing the HEAT!
Several years ago, the gym I belonged to had a bench press contest. The guy who won had a barrel chest and arms so “short” that his wrists were even with his beltline when standing with his hands at his sides. They also had a rule you had to pause the weight on chest momentarily before pressing it up. When the bar was touching his chest, his elbows were at almost exactly at 90 degrees. I thought, “Damn, he makes it look easy.”
Coldworld
April 05, 2024 at 04:43 pm
This is Rashan Gary almost cloned. Very close in height and weight, very close in play style. He’s fractionally less agile and athletic—his flexibility is his weakness, his 3 cone was slower than Gary’s by .3. He’s not quite as fast over 10, but it’s close. He didn’t lift as much but his arms are sufficiently longer (99 percentile for a DE/Edge) to offset that.
The folks in Lambeau might love this kid. In fact if we still ran the 3:4, I’d say they would, but do we need 2 Gary types under Hafley with what we’ve got around them?
Great motor, effort guy, he’s going to win by bursting through and power. Might be an asset as a kick/pass blocker with those arms. I like Watts. He does need some work on his hands technique and rush moves. I don’t think he’s as natural a bull rusher as Gary. He’s not quite the athlete overall.
Where does he fit and how late is he available remain good questions, but I could see him as a Packer if he’s there on day 3 because he’s a very slightly less athletic but also rawer version of Gary at this point.
golfpacker1
April 05, 2024 at 08:17 pm
My late round gem @ Edge is Myles Cole-Texas Tech- 6'6 278lbs 4.67 40 RAS 9.93.
He also didn't have a lot of production but definitely qualifies as development gem. Watts and Cole are almost twins in build, speed, and lack of production. But they will be a cheap draft pick.
Texas Tech also has my sleeper Safety-Tyler Owens- 6'2 215lbs 4.30 40- He got hurt @ combine so no RAS
Coldworld
April 06, 2024 at 12:21 am
Cole is pretty similar on many ways. Not quite as fast over ten yards. He looks even stiffer though. His arms are even longer. He didn’t do agility drills, and from the little film I’ve seen, there may be a very good reason. He’s also rawer technically and a little older. Late on the 3rd day is where I see taking a flyer on him being reasonable.
I like Owens to develop as a SS and possibly slot depth. A great athlete, but he’s raw. He needs a lot of polishing. Hadn’t really played much due to barely getting a look till he moved to Texas Tech. 7th round project with a pretty high ceiling and low floor. I’d like to know why his playing time actually decreased each year before his transfer. He has too much physical talent to make that seem accidental.
golfpacker1
April 06, 2024 at 09:54 am
Owens is just as you described him Coldworld. But he is very intriguing and as they say, "Speed Kills." He started his college career being heavily recruited as a 5-star recruit, and signed with Texas. 3 years there not getting to play, and transferred to TT. I would be happier if he had better tackle numbers too, but as a 7th or UFDA its worth a shot.
LLCHESTY
April 06, 2024 at 09:14 am
Cole got the "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" kiss of death from a scout a few weeks ago. Those guys rarely change.
stockholder
April 05, 2024 at 09:52 pm
!2 career sacks? Seriously-?
Thats not what we need. It's A 7th rd pick.
The 3 cone tells the story.
No bend. Can't turn the corner.
JosephR
April 05, 2024 at 09:54 pm
2.5 more than Rashan Gary.... *shrugs*
Coldworld
April 06, 2024 at 12:09 am
He said the same about Gary. He’s consistent.
jannesbjornson
April 06, 2024 at 08:16 am
Still prefer Wilkins/Burns and Montez Sweat to fill out the round one scorecard. See if Gary shows up in 2024?
golfpacker1
April 06, 2024 at 09:48 am
I didn't say I would draft Cole in the 3rd round SH. He is a late round or UFDA developmental Edge rusher with very impressive tools. That describes a promising work in process.
LLCHESTY
April 06, 2024 at 09:31 am
Gutey hinted at Hafley liking speedier Edges with bend while it sounds like he still prefers bigger guys. Marshawn Kneeland is a bigger player but has an outstanding 3-cone for his size, 7.02 at 267 lbs. Would be a good 4th round add. Very similar to Preston Smith, a little shorter but with slightly longer arms.
https://twitter.com/MathBomb/status/1775236760777392616?t=Pzx5nBHFnWujez...
GeorgeRipley
April 16, 2024 at 05:19 am
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