2 weeks Ago
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Four hours after Day 2 of the 2025 NFL draft began, the Atlanta Falcons made their first selection, trading up five spots to select Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts at No. 96 overall.
Atlanta moved up five spots from No. 101 and gave away a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Falcons have now traded two 2026 picks through the first two days of the draft, as they dealt their first-round selection to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in order to secure Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr.
The 23-year-old Watts has an illustrious resume. In 2023, he won the Nagurski Award given annually to the nation’s top defender, and he earned consensus All-American honors in both 2023 and 2024. The 6’0”, 204-pound Watts is lauded for his instincts and elite ball skills.
He tied for the FBS lead with seven interceptions in 2023 and was tied for second with six takeaways in 2024. Watts has experience playing single-high safety, in the box and at nickel. Here's NFL.
com's scouting report on Watts: "Watts plays with rare feel and instincts on the back-end, allowing him to range over the top in single-high or read and drive on throws as a split safety," Lance Zierlein wrote. "Watts lined up over the slot at times in college, but he might not have the man-cover talent to do that as a pro. "His ball skills and production are intoxicating, but his run support and tackling are quite sobering.
Watts lacks pursuit discipline and fails to break down in space, leading to open-field misses and back-breaking mistakes. The tackling lowers his floor some, but I expect him to drift toward his ceiling because he’s so good on the back-end." The Falcons have two picks on Day 3: No.
118 and No. 218..
