NFL Draft
12/8/24
6 min read
Xavier Watts 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Notre Dame Fighting Irish SAF
Height: 6000 (unofficial)
Weight: 203 (unofficial)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Justin Simmons
Scouting Overview
Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts is a ball-hawking defender on the back end who boasts elite ball skills and game-changing playmaking. His background as a wide receiver appears to have well-positioned him to recognize route combinations and anticipate the eyes and decisions of opposing quarterbacks.
He’s explosive, a striking tackler, and shows a good appetite for defending the run in addition to his responsibilities in coverage. This profiles as an early starter, and assuming he continues to master his craft after a collegiate switch to safety, he is a likely impact starter and potential roster cornerstone. Watts has the feet, burst, and length to ensure he’s contesting throws in a similar fashion at the next level.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Ball skills make it easy to see his background as a wide receiver — great angles and anticipation to attack and greet the football
- Ability to anticipate route breaks and timing of quarterback decisions puts him constantly in the ball’s flight path
- Explosive athlete with disciplined feet on flat-footed reads to trigger and attack
Negatives
- Can take some steep angles downhill in run support and surrender unneeded yardage when the play spills outside
- Is guilty at times of coming into the point of first contact out of control and coming up empty on tackle challenges
- Is a more preferable zone defender relative to playing man-to-man coverage against receivers in the slot
Background
Watts is from Omaha, NE, and played his high school football at Harry A. Burke HS. There, he was a 4-star recruit (247 Sports) as a wide receiver who also played on the defensive side of the football. Watts logged in excess of 1,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior, plus 68 tackles, three interceptions, and two defensive scores.
Watts received interest from many Midwest programs, including Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Louisville, Wisconsin, and more. He enrolled at Notre Dame as a wide receiver in the 2020 recruiting class and played in two games during his true freshman season in 2020.
Watts converted from wide receiver to play safety and got his first start at the position in 2022, stepping in for Brandon Joseph. He played in 13 games at the position that year and assumed a starting role across the final four games before exploding onto the national scene as a star at the position in 2023.
Watts was the 2023 Bronco Nagurski Award winner, leading the country with seven interceptions. He was voted a Unanimous All-American for his efforts that season across 13 starts and enjoyed a dynamic encore season in 2024, helping lead the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff.
Tale Of The Tape
Watts is the best ballhawk eligible for the 2025 draft. Interceptions are not a particularly stable statistic, but when you take inventory of how Watts has collected a dozen interceptions during the last two seasons, the sustainability of the process suggests that this is translatable to the next level.
The instincts shine. Watts arrived at Notre Dame as a wide receiver and transitioned after some time in the program into playing safety — his background as a wide receiver is apparent in watching him play in space and key opposing quarterbacks. The football IQ to understand coverage spacing and landmarks to position throws to his vicinity allows him to shade into a throwing window early before exploding out of his base to drive on the throw. There have been numerous times Watts has quickly called out developing plays at the snap.
Explosiveness is a notable trait in Watts’ game. His twitch and drive out of flat-footed reads are significant in his ability to close space at the top of routes in quick game. He has shown disciplined feet to eliminate false steps out of a pedal and sustain that pop when he’s threatened in the slot with vertical speed. In the open field, his strides are rapid, and he showcases a second gear that allows him to close in pursuit off the backside or away from the football.
Watts boasts the necessary length to amplify these skills and help to maximize his sphere of influence at the catch point and as a tackler. His arm length has come in useful multiple times in his efforts to undercut throws and beat receivers to the catch point. As a tackler, he offers deliberate intent against wrapped ball carriers to rip the cord and try to strip the ball while helping to facilitate a finished tackle. All of these elements of Watts’ game suggest a refined understanding of play, and there are few things that look like they’re happening too quickly for him to process.
This is a player who has impressive intangibles. He chose to return for the 2024 season after winning the Nagurski in 2023 — citing a desire to refine the little things in his game and lead the defensive back room after just one year of starting. He also disclosed the importance of finishing his Master’s degree at Notre Dame. Everything about Watts oozes someone with the necessary qualities to be the quarterback of a defense.
Watts can still stand to refine the little things — like his angles in run pursuit. He can be guilty of taking angles too steep initially before forcing himself into a recovery effort to flatten out late and concede extra yardage. He is a good tackler in close quarters and in piles, but in these instances when Watts has to bow his pursuit late to the speed of the back, he can be out of control trying to finish plays at the point of first contact.
When his cadence and approach from depth are disciplined, so is his tackling. When trying to negotiate climbing blocks, Watts shows hand pop and length to keep his chest clear. He isn’t the most laterally shifty player in short spaces, and as a result, if blockers can get into his chest, Watts can have a hard time disengaging and re-establishing himself as an available tackler.
Watts shines in zone coverage with his eyes on the quarterback. His ability to play on the second level is rooted in buzzing into throwing windows or attacking the edge to help against the run. Watts does not have the kind of success rate playing man coverage in these situations to suggest that he can frequently play man and be the same version of himself against shifty wide receivers.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Xavier Watts is a scheme-diverse talent who has demonstrated the ability to play in the high post, in split field coverage, or on the second level of the defense.
His football intelligence and pattern combo recognition make him a viable fit for any coverage system and should have him well positioned to assume a starting role in the NFL quickly upon his entry into the league.
Grade: 83.50/100.00, First Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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