2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: UConn EDGE Eric Watts

From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on UConn EDGE Eric Watts.

#95 ERIC WATTS, EDGE, UCONN (rSR) — 6055, 274 lbs.

Combine

Measurements

The Good

— Very good height and length
— Long stride to cover ground quickly rushing the passer
— Solid potential in stab/long arm and speed to bull
— Solid acceleration looping on a twist
— Good effort to chase down screens and plays outside
— Will get his hand up in throwing lanes
— Solid setting the edge and scraping from the backside
— Good athleticism and works through traffic well
— Good tackler, limits yards after contact with good hit power

The Bad

— Adequate snap quickness versus run and pass
— Poor pad level, standing up, losing burst and power
— Hand usage was marginal to keep blockers off of him
— Pass rush was segmented, and the plan was limited
— Lateral agility and change of direction were marginal
— Slow determining run versus pass
— Will lose the ball at the mesh point and chase the fake
— Struggles to disengage from blocks
— Marginal leverage and not enough sand in the pants to hand lateral/double team blocks

Bio

— Career: 152 tackles, 64 solo, 23 TFL, 9.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 4 FF, 1 FR, 3 blocked kicks
— 2023: 34 tackles, 17 solo, 6.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 PBU, 2 FF, 1 blocked kick
— Senior Bowl invitee
— 47 games
— Also lettered in basketball in high school
— Human development and family studies major

Tape Breakdown

Eric Watts is a defensive end in UConn’s even-front defense. He aligned primarily on the left side but saw time on the right and floating off the ball on passing downs. He is a high-cut player with very good height, length, and solid weight.

As a pass rusher, he can get up the field quickly with long strides and has solid hand placement on his power rushes. He will rush from two and three-point stances with better quickness from two. His go-to rushes include a speed to bull and the stab/long arm with good punch at extension. He flashed a solid chop/rip and can flatten to the quarterback at the top of the arc. As the looper or when rushing from off the ball in the middle of the field, he displays solid acceleration. On screen plays, he displays good effort to pursue the ball. He will get his hands in passing lanes when the rush isn’t getting home.

Here are some solid pass rushes.

Really athletic play, not only batting the pass but making the tackle as well.

When he times his hand right, they are heavy and can knock back a defender.

As a run defender, he was solid setting the edge and did well scraping as the backside defender. He has the athleticism to chase down runners from the backside when he reads the play quickly. His motor is good, and he is solid sifting through traffic. When attempting to shoot gaps, he has solid quickness to get between blockers. Overall, he is a good tackler with good power and does not allow yards after contact.

Good plays on the chase down from the backside.

He also displayed good physicality on the edge.

Full-speed Watts can cover some ground.

When rushing the passer, he has adequate snap quickness and marginal hand usage with minimal usage of chops and swipes. At the snap, he stands straight up, losing burst and play strength rarely using his length to his advantage. Many of his rushes were contain-type rushes with marginal effort. His pass rush play was limited and segmented, they didn’t flow in the execution. Marginal lateral agility and change of direction curtail him when rushing and playing run defense. He has very little experience dropping into coverage.

Too many pass rushes resulted in nothing.

Mental processing, determining run versus pass, was adequate, taking an extra second to read the play. He will lose the ball at the mesh point and chase the fake. He has marginal hand placement when playing two-gap and struggles to disengage from blocks, even from tight ends. He doesn’t play with enough leverage or have enough sand in the pants to manage double-team blocks. When playing 1-gap, he doesn’t use his hands well and just tries to elbow through the blockers.

In the first clip, he can’t get off the block, and the runner slips right by him. On the second, he chases the fake and leaves the QB to run for a touchdown.

Conclusion

Overall, Watts has very good height and length and solid weight. He can get up the field quickly and has solid hand placement when power rushing. On screens he gives good pursuit and gets his hands up in throwing lanes. He is solid setting the edge and can make plays from the backside. His athleticism is good, he is solid getting through traffic, and he is a good tackler.

Areas to improve include becoming more consistent with his snap timing, pad level, and hand usage when rushing the passer. Against the run, improvement in mental processing, reading the mesh point, and learning to disengage from blockers more quickly would be helpful.

Watts is another player who could be viewed as a “tweener” in this year’s draft. He could stay at his weight and become a developmental defensive end in an even front. He can add twenty pounds, kick inside, and play the 5-technique role in an odd front. He could also drop twenty pounds and become an outside linebacker, but that seems less likely.

There is athleticism and upper body strength to work with and his length is hard to find. Each game had a handful of plays where he hit the throttle and looked like a different player. His next coaching staff will need to get him to play like that all the time. He is a developmental defender who needs to improve his pad level and hand usage to make it at the next level.

As a player comp, I’ll give you Jalen Jelks. Watts is heavier but both had very good length and had enough athleticism to make plays outside and to be disruptive but lacked mass and had trouble getting off blocks.

Projection: Late Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 6.2 End of Roster/Practice Squad (Sixth/Seventh Round)
Games Watched: 2023 – vs N.C. State, Vs USF, At Boston College, At Tennessee