They say you get one chance at a first impression. For Texas defensive back Ryan Watts, he believes he nailed his first impression with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Appearing on the 3rd & Longhorn podcast ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, Watts highlighted his formal meeting with the Steelers at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, stating that it was his most fun meeting with an NFL team because he had everyone laughing in the meeting.
It was not known that Watts had a formal meeting with the Steelers at the Combine until now, thanks to him revealing it on the podcast. Sounds like it went really well, too.
“Definitely fun ones, I would say the Steelers. I was in a formal with the Steelers and I really had the whole room laughing,” Watts said of his meeting with the Steelers, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I had the whole room laughing with some of the stuff I said. But I feel like it was all cool people, and I felt like I was able to be myself and they accepted me for who I was. So, definitely the Steelers though.”
Having the whole room laughing and having a good time is certainly a good thing for Watts, especially from the Steelers’ perspective when it comes to potential interest in the pre-draft process.
With a need at cornerback and at safety, Watts’ hybrid ability is certainly appealing.
He competed at the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl and had a solid week, and then had a nice showing at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. Watts checked in at 6027, 208 pounds with 34 1/2-inch arms and an 81 3/4-inch wingspan, massive for the cornerback position.
Watts also clocked a 4.53 40-yard dash, had a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a 10’5″ broad jump, while adding a 6.82-second 3-cone drill.
During his time at Texas, Watts — who previously played at Ohio State — played in 24 career games with 23 starts in 2022 and 2023. Prior to Texas he played in 19 career games at Ohio State.
In his two seasons in Austin, Watts was a key figure for the Longhorns’ defense. He finished his Texas career with 89 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and seven passes defensed, adding honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades last season and All-Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2022.
Currently, Watts is projected to be drafted late on Day 3 but is viewed as a developmental defensive back due to his size and ability to play corner or safety. It’s worth noting that the only member of the Steelers’ front office or coaching staff at the Texas Pro Day on March 20 was wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni.
