In Draft Roundup I’ll scour the web and find out who is projected to be drafted by the Packers in recent mock drafts and dig deep into the players, giving you insights into the 2017 NFL Draft prospects.
Charlie Casserly
T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin
6’4 252, 4.69 (40), 37″ (vert), 128″ (broad), 6.79 (3 cone)
About T.J. Watt
Born and bred in the great state of Wisconsin, T.J. played tight end at Pewaukee high school. Although initially having his heart set on leaving Wisconsin, Watt ultimately decided to follow in his brothers J.J. and Derek’s footsteps.
T.J. was redshirted his freshman year in 2013 and missed all of 2014 with an injury. In 2015 he was asked to play on defense. These are both his first snaps as a Badger as well as his first snaps as a defender.
In 2015 T.J Watt played all 13 games. He recorded 8 tackles and 3 passes broken up.
In 2016 Watt made as big of a leap as a guy could possibly make. With only one year of defense under his belt, Watt finished 2016 with 63 tackles (15.5 for loss), 11.5 sacks, 6 passes deflected, and a pick 6.
Pass Rush
Physically, T.J. is a bit of a freak. Compared to Clay Mattews, he is an inch taller, 12 pounds heavier, but only ran 0.02 seconds slower in the 40. He also performed better in the broad jump, vert, and 3 cone drill, demonstrating better explosion and agility than Matthews. In fact, Watt had the second best 3 cone time, tied for second in the vert, and tied for first in the broad jump in the linebacker group. At 6’4 that’s absolutely insane.
Let’s first look at that agility shall we.
Yes he went up against a running back but just look at it! He is able to run full speed at the back, jump around him, and curl back toward the quarterback and bring him down, all without slowing down.The play from start to finish takes about 3 seconds. The quarterback didn’t have a chance.
To take another perspective of how amazing this is, look at the top of the screen. A corner comes on a blitz and is unblocked. T.J. got there first. That’s sick. Oh and it was a strip sack fumble recovery. So there’s that.
Let’s do that again shall we?
In another freakish example of bend, Watt (Again 6’4) gets UNDER the block, hops laterally in front of the back and takes him out. I was able to squeeze in the live and slow motion footage in on gif. Cause it was that fast.
It’s not all about the speed rush with Watt, however.
Above, Watt uses a straight bull rush getting inside the arms of the tackle and driving him straight back into the QB. Once again he is able to rip away from the blocker in order to secure the sack.
Versatility
If the Packers appreciate anything it’s versatility. Capers especially likes to be able to move his pieces around in order to confuse defenses. Who’s dropping and who’s coming? That’s the core of the zone blitzing scheme.
As a Badger, Watt was often used in the exact way Capers would use him. Not only did he drop into coverage, he was lined up all over the field, including being asked to blitz from the inside linebacker position.
Looking almost exactly like Clay Matthews on this play, Watt again absolutely embarrasses a RB by literally throwing him to the side, before chasing the quarterback down from behind.
Run Defense
Possibly his biggest asset, Watt is fantastic at controlling the edge. His 6’4 frame and 33 1/8″ arms routinely keep defenders from locking on to him. He uses fantastic leverage for his height.
If the video below tells us anything its that fullbacks, tight ends, and running backs simply won’t cut it against Watt.
In the play above, fullback Henry Poggi is assigned to block Watt. Watt, using incredible leverage, is able to get low and explode upward standing the fullback straight up. With complete control of the blocker, he holds him and waits for the runner. When the back tries to break to the outside, Watt throws the hapless fullback to the side and takes the back out in the backfield.
As I sort of touched on already, Watt doesn’t have a speed problem.
As you can see above, Watt is able to chase runners down from behind. Patient runners are all the rage in the NFL. If you’re going to play against Watt you might need to have a little more urgency to get moving.
Negatives
The biggest negative with Watt is his inconsistency. He at times can make poor decisions like crashing inside and allowing the back around the outside or will allow himself to get tied up with blockers.
Although true, everything you saw above is from playing 2 years on defense. The physical tools are incredible and I don’t think anyone believes he’s reached his full potential.
Although I’ll ashamedly admit that I thought Watt at 29 was a stretch, I now see the error of my ways. He’s a little raw but Watt is an instant starter for the Packers and is a player that can potentially be developed into one of the better pass rushers in the game.
Draft
Watt’s draft stock has shot through the roof recently. Once considered a second round pick, it’s starting to look as though Watt will have to be a first round pick and that’s if he’s even available at 29.
Rest assured, if the Packers do call his name on draft day, the Packers defense instantly got an upgrade.