Xavier Watts comes into the 2025 NFL Draft as a safety prospect that is currently flying under the radar. Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy in 2023 as the best collegiate defensive player and has been an All-American the past two years, yet he’s projected by most to fall past the first round. Even though he’s not projected to go in the first round, his accolades along with his quick development has the entire NFL interested with Xavier Watts’ draft profile.
Let’s take a look at our Xavier Watts draft profile, including his stats, scouting report, college highlights, and more!
Xavier Watts NFL Draft Profile 2025
Xavier Watts
Position: S
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 204 lbs
Age: 23
College: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Xavier Watts Stats 2024
Watts has played incredibly well at Notre Dame for the past two seasons. The only question in regards to his game is the quality of the competition he’s faced with Notre Dame being an independent.
Games: 16
Coverage Snaps: 505
Tackles: 67
Missed Tackles: 13
PFF Grade: 89.7
Xavier Watts Highlights
When is the 2025 NFL Draft?
The 2025 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 24, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The draft will take place in Green Bay, WI, which brings plenty of potential challenges. Only Round 1 will take place on Thursday. Rounds 2-3 will take place on April 25th, with the remaining four rounds wrapping up on Sunday, April 26th. There will be 257 players selected across the seven rounds, with many more getting phone calls immediately afterward.
Xavier Watts Scouting Report
Strengths
Out of all the defensive players in this draft class, it is not an overstatement to say that Watts may have the best ball skills. He has shown incredible production at Notre Dame, with 13 interceptions over the last two years. Watts has some experience playing in the slot and has fantastic awareness and recognition of plays and their development. He is seemingly always in the right spot on passing plays and is very opportunistic.
Weaknesses
For as good a ball hawk as Watts is, he may be equally as bad at tackling. His pursuit angles are often way off, and he too often lets the ball carrier beat him to the outside when he inevitably tries to take too sharp of an angle. His tackling is also a problem even when he’s in the right position, as he has missed 13 tackles each of the last two seasons. For Watts to thrive in the NFL, he needs to improve a lot at tackling. He should also be paired with a safety who can help in run defense.
For more 2025 NFL Draft profiles, check out our NFL Draft page!
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Xavier Watts Draft Projection | Expert 2025 NFL Mock Draft Projections
The Xavier Watts draft projection comes from the latest ESPN mock draft. In this mock, Matt Miller projected Watts to be selected by the Chicago Bears at 41st overall. This would make a talented defense even better, as the Bears look to turn things around in a hurry.
2025 NFL Draft Order | First Round
Xavier Watts’ name will likely not be called in the first round, but it is possible someone could decide to reach. Here is the 2025 NFL Draft order for the first round of action.
- Tennessee Titans
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Giants
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Chicago Bears
- San Francisco 49ers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Miami Dolphins
- Indianapolis Colts
- Atlanta Falcons
- Arizona Cardinals
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Houston Texans
- Los Angeles Rams
- Baltimore Ravens
- Detroit Lions
- Washington Commanders
- Buffalo Bills
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Philadelphia Eagles
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