1 week Ago
At six-foot-six and 464 pounds, defensive tackle Desmond Watson would have been the largest draft pick in NFL history . He was not drafted. Via the Associated Press , Watson has instead signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
It’ll be a homecoming for Watson, who grew up 20 minutes from Tampa, in Plant City, Florida. He played college football for four seasons at the University of Florida, without missing a single game. Watson knows he needs to lose weight .
Since arriving at Gainesville, he has been consistently growing. He started out at 385. He was 415 in his second year.
As a junior, he weighed 435. Last year, he was listed at 449. At his Pro Day, he was 15 pounds heavier.
He also bench-pressed 225 pounds 36 times that day, more than anyone who was invited to the Scouting Combine. The Bucs already have a 347-pound defensive tackle in Vita Vea. Watson has played a little fullback, too.
He had one rushing attempt, for a one-yard gain. Forty years after 350-pound William “The Refrigerator” Perry took the league by storm as a periodic offensive option for the 1985 Bears, Watson could perhaps get a chance to do the same thing. (Desmond “The Walk-In Cooler” Watson has a nice ring to it.
) First, Watson will have to make the team. He’ll get a chance to do that in Tampa..
