STRENGTHS - A rare athlete with uncommon natural strength, Watson has the physical talent of the top offensive tackles in the NFL. He has the flexibility to bend knees and sink hips to pass block with base/leverage. His foot quickness and ability to pass block with base enable himt o easily slide out to the corner to block explosive edge pass rushers when he slides on correct angle. This ability to block with base also shows up in his ability to re-direct and slide quickly in other direction to handle quick COD pass rush moves when he sees/anticipates them coming. He has heavy hands and can jolt pass rushers up right to stop them in their tracks when he is aggressive punching in pass pro. Once he locks up on DE he has the strength to eliminate man from the play consistently. Aggressive on down/side blocks, Watson can collapse the entire DL down the LOS to open big hole for RB. He is quick getting through to the second level and can lock up LB and eliminates him from play. He has the quickness and speed to pull around far side OT and can adjust to block on the move when he stays over feet and under control. A smart young man, Watson has picked up football very fast in last two seasons.
WEAKNESSES - Watson is a better athlete than offensive tackle right now and it shows in his man getting pressure on the QB more than they should be able to. Despite ability to slide out easily to protect edge versus speed rushers, he is not consistent in this area because he tends to slide closer to the LOS rather than on angle to beat pass rusher to POC. Even once he slides into good pass blocking position, he does not consistently handle quick COD pass rush moves because he is often late seeing/anticipating the move and cannot react in time to make up for late read. He has a bad habit of stopping shuffle after making contact and ends up chasing pass rusher around the corner. On in-line run blocks we tends to get over-aggressive and ends up bending at the waist and over-extending, which leads to him falling off block too often. While he has athleticism to get out into space to be an outstanding blocker, he tends to get upright when getting out in space and struggles to adjust to consistently block a moving target. .
SUMMARY - Perhaps the most unique story in this year's Draft, Watson has only played football since the 2011 season. After growing up playing soccer in England and then developing into an excellent high school basketball player, Watson was able to get a basketball scholarship to Marist in NY. However, after he was done playing basketball he decided to give football a try and showed up at Saddleback JC having never played the game before. It took him a short while to become a starter and by mid-season was their best offensive linemen. He then was offered a scholarship to Florida State and ended up winning a starting job in 2012 and after an excellent season choose to come out early for the Draft. Overall, if you just looked at Watson's on field play you would not draft him before the third round, but as rare athletes with excellent size, strength and intangibles are hard to find, I would be surprised if Watson does not get selected in the opening round.