2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
All my scouting notes on the strengths, concerns, usage/role, skill set summary, NFL comparison and grade/projection for Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
Notre Dame S Xavier Watts
Height: 6-0
Weight: 204
Arm Length: 31 1/4
Hand Size: 8 5/8
Birthdate: 11/22/01 (will turn 24 as a rookie)
Production: 9 TFL, 13 INTs, 18 PBUs, 2 FFs
Games Watched: Ohio State, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Purdue
Scouting Notes
Best out-of-the-pedal safety in the class. Breaks on the ball are excellent. Arrives at the catch point with a purpose. Attacks the football and has made some elite catches during his time at Notre Dame. 13 interceptions over the past two seasons, some of which are lucky, but some of which are legit plays on the ball in the air. Will jump in-breakers and has the burst out of his pedal to be a threat, even if his range isn’t amazing.
If Watts had elite speed, he’d probably be the first safety off the board. Unfortunately, his range is a bit limited, and he’s better over short distances thanks to his quick feet and good balance, rather than covering a ton of ground. He hardly gave up any plays all season long (zero touchdowns allowed in his college career), but he is a little limited in the situations he can get to from a single-high alignment.
When asked to step into the slot, Watts performed admirably all season. He has the physicality and strength to hang with tight ends in man coverage, and the body control to match some receivers. Speedy slots are going to run by him, which happened once in the Ohio State game. Not many college teams attacked him this way, but NFL teams will. But Watts did a good job staying patient in his technique, being physical at the top of routes and opening his hips to accelerate with receivers out of their breaks. He’ll linger a step or two behind the route at times too, waiting to close on the ball as it’s released.
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