If there are NFL teams out there looking for a premiere defensive back who can take the ball away and change the trajectory of any game, that player might just be Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts.
Don’t Throw At Xavier Watts
There is a reason why Watts became an All-American player while in South Bend.
According to Pro Football Focus, no player in college football had more interceptions over the last two seasons than the Omaha native.
Here is how Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema recently described Watts:
No defender has more INTs than Xavier Watts over the past two seasons🔒 pic.twitter.com/1kUtTbId9o
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 12, 2025
There are plenty of NFL teams that could be looking to add a play-making safety at some point during the NFL Draft. Whichever team decides to add Watts likely won’t regret it, judging by how he finished his college career.
Without him in the lineup, who knows if the Fighting Irish even get to the title game?
Watts’ Notre Dame Legacy
The legacy of Xavier Watts at Notre Dame is quite simple.
He was a cornerstone piece of the roster for each of the past two seasons and was, at his best, one of the best safeties in the history of the program. His 13 career interceptions are tied for the third-most in school history, right behind Luther Bradley and Tom MacDonald.
While the interceptions are nice, Watts also needed to prove he could be a good tackler at the highest level.
He did just that during the 2024 season. In the 16 games that he played in, he recorded 82 total tackles, 52 solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. So, while his ball skills are elite and his awareness is top-tier, his ability to get offensive players on the ground has really improved throughout his football career.
Now, it will be interesting to see which teams decide to go after him in the NFL Draft next month. Perhaps the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, and Tennessee Titans could all be teams that are sitting in that department.
KEEP READING: Indianapolis Colts 7-Round Mock Draft: Tyler Warren, Xavier Watts Fill Huge Needs
Time will tell as the draft gets closer and closer.
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