 Watts in 2022 | |
| No. 58 – New York Jets | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 1, 2000 |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 277 lb (126 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Sumter (Sumter, South Carolina) |
| College: | UConn (2019–2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
Eric Watts (born October 1, 2000) is an American football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UConn.
From Sumter, South Carolina, Watts attended Sumter High School where he played football and basketball, being selected to the Offense–Defense All-American Bowl in football while helping the team win county and region championships. [1] As a senior, he had 8 1/2 sacks while helping Sumter win ten straight games. [2] He committed to play college football for the UConn Huskies. [3]
Watts began seeing extended action at UConn as a true freshman in 2019. [4] He appeared in all 12 games that year and totaled 30 tackles. [5] The team's 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, Watts played 10 games while accumulating 39 tackles. [6] He appeared in 13 games in the 2022 season and posted 49 tackles while leading the team in both tackles-for-loss (10) and sacks (7.0), additionally blocking two kicks and having two forced fumbles. [1] He had 34 tackles and two sacks as a senior in 2023 and was invited to participate at the 2024 Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. [7] [8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+5⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 274 lb (124 kg) | 35+3⁄4 in (0.91 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.67 s | 1.65 s | 2.73 s | 4.38 s | 7.48 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 21 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day [9] [10] | ||||||||||||
Watts signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2024. [11]
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