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GAINESVILLE — His 40 time was his friend Thursday, and he absolutely blew up the bench press. Even his vertical leap seemed paradoxical in view of his girth.
For all the agility nose tackle Desmond Watson brandished Thursday at the University of Florida’s pro day, he couldn’t sidestep the scale. Before lifting and leaping and sprinting, and darting around and through blocking dummies, Watson was measured for height and weight, and the morning’s most glaring red flag was formally raised over his 6-foot-6 frame.
On the most critical day of his career, a job interview before representatives of all 32 NFL teams, the Armwood High alumnus weighed 464 pounds.
For context, that’s 117 more than Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea’s listed weight.
“That number’s always going to be pretty big,” Gators coach Billy Napier said.
In an NFL draft context, it’s unprecedented.
The most intriguing prospect by far at Thursday’s proceedings, Watson did nothing to hurt his cause except weigh in. He recorded a 25-inch vertical leap — nearly a quarter-ton of humanity elevating more than 2 feet off the ground. Shortly thereafter, he did 36 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, which would have been the most — for any position — at the NFL draft combine. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 5.93 seconds.
“He did awesome,” defensive lineman Joey Slackman said. “I knew he was going to go for a crazy number. He’s a huge dude, but he was locked in from the start, so I knew he was going to get 30-, 35-plus [on the bench]. We talked about it beforehand, and he was ready to roll.”
Napier’s assessment was more succinct: “He’s a unicorn.”
He would be if an NFL team were to take a chance on him in the draft. No player who weighed at least 400 pounds at the time of the draft ever has been selected. Perhaps more disconcerting: Watson, who didn’t speak with reporters Thursday, was listed at 449 pounds during the 2024 season.
“You’ll go the rest of your career and you’ll never be around a guy that’s that stature,” Napier said.
Fortunately for him, game film is as brutally honest as the scale, and Watson asserted himself as serviceable — and periodically staggering — as a run-stopper over four college seasons in Gainesville’s generally sweltering climate. Though he added weight each year, Watson finished with 63 tackles in 51 games, with 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
He saved his most viral moment for his final game, a de facto homecoming at Raymond James Stadium in the Gasparilla Bowl. First, Watson ensnared Tulane quarterback Ty Thompson on a third-down run, lifted him several feet off the turf and threw him down. Then in the fourth quarter, he lined up in the offensive backfield, took a handoff on third-and-1 and bulldozed his way for a first down.
“I think he’s learned a lot [in terms of weight management]. I think this past year, we probably did it the best we’ve done it,” Napier said.
“He’s had numerous nutritionists, numerous position coaches, numerous strength coaches, and I think this past year we probably executed the best we have, and I thought he played the best football of his career.
“I think he’s learned a lot about habit-building, self-discipline, and ultimately the guy’s frame score would indicate that he’s going to be a huge [person]. That number’s always going to be pretty big. He’s 6-foot-6 and just the density, the bone structure, he’s just a big man.”
With a big question mark attached.
“He moves way better than anybody thought that he would at his size,” Slackman said. “And I played next to him on the field and I didn’t think there was a dropoff with him being on the field versus anybody else, so I don’t see why a team wouldn’t give him a chance. He’s a football player through and through. I would want that guy on my team.”
