With the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting redshirt junior cornerback Ryan Watts with the 195th overall choice in the sixth round, Texas football surpassed double-digit draft selections. In the 2024 NFL Draft, Watts was chosen as the fourth defensive player overall and the first defensive back from Texas.
In forty years, this is the first time the Longhorns have had ten players taken in the same NFL Draft class. In 1984, Texas had an incredible eighteen picks in the NFL Draft.
Additionally, since the Denver Broncos selected Caden Sterns in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, Watts is the first defensive back from Texas to be taken.
The 208-pound, 6-foot-3 Watts is a native of Little Elm, Texas, and one of the lengthier defensive backs in this draft class. At the NFL level, his combination of height and wingspan makes him a special defensive back.
Watts has spent the last two seasons at Texas starting at boundary corner. After spending his first two years of college with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2020 and 2021, he transferred to Texas for his last two seasons of eligibility.
Watts is anticipated to go from cornerback to safety for the Steelers due to his bigger stature and football instincts. In run defense, he thrives when playing downhill. He can be put on delayed blitzes to pursue the opposing quarterback.
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