With the 195th selection of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected DB Ryan Watts.
Watts, a favorite of our Josh Carney, is being listed as a defensive back, though some speculated he would move to safety at the NFL level. Watts brings great size and athleticism, the only corner to check every box in our “What They Look For” study.
At the NFL Combine, Watts weighed in at 6027, 208 pounds, with 34 1/2-inch arms. He ran a 4.53 40 but really impressed with a 40.5-inch vertical and 10’5″ broad jump. He began his career at Ohio State before transferring to Texas. With the Longhorns, he recorded 89 tackles (five for a loss) with one interception. Last season, he recorded 38 tackles, three pass deflections, and zero interceptions.
Josh ended his report this way:
“The concerns with the long speed at corner and the struggles to find and track the ball in the air in coverage are real, but his physicality, length and experience at two major programs are very intriguing overall and warrant a flyer on Day 3 of the NFL draft. At worst, he’s a longer-term special teams contributor who can provide depth in the secondary.”
And gave him a fifth-round grade, making this good value later in the sixth round.
During the pre-draft process, Watts said he had a great meeting with the Steelers, calling it his favorite one.
“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.”
Barring any trades, the Steelers have made their final pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. They will next look to sign their undrafted free agent class, likely to be between 8-11 players. We’ll have an updated and ongoing tracker of those names as they get reported by media outlets.
Check out our scouting report on Ryan Watts below.
