Ourlads' Profile:
2025 Guide: What Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services said about XAVIER WATTS:
Notre Dame | Hometown: Omaha, NE | HT: 6000 | WT: 205 | 40 time: 4.58 | Hand: 0858 | Arm: 3112 | Wing: 7612
Three-year starter. Bronko Nagurski award winner in 2023 and two-time first-team All-America. Typically aligns at deep safety in a variety of one-high and two-high coverages. His seven interceptions were the most in the FBS in 2023, and followed it up with another six interceptions in 2024. An explosive defender with considerable athletic ability. Gets his run/pass key very quickly and reacts accordingly. Quality range from two-high alignments to protect his deep half of the field. Sees the whole field with exceptional processing speed to read the quarterback while taking away routes over the top. Elite ball tracking ability to regularly put himself in position for takeaways, and an eye-popping 27 pass breakups over the past two seasons. Asked to cover big slots and tight ends in press coverage; uses physical jams and change of direction skills to match targets across the field. Sound off-man technique and is lightning quick to react to the break to stay in-phase. Able to carry receivers vertically downfield. Excellent plant-and-drive ability and he starts in a split second. He is a missile coming downhill with notable burst that makes him a challenge to block. A sound run defender who constricts the edge and gets the dirty work done on the interior. Breaks down and stays square when closing space on ball carriers to get in good tackling position. Works through traffic with ease to get into the backfield. An aggressive tackler who uses good form and possesses the strength to bring all types of ball carriers to the ground. Lacks the range to be a true one-high sideline-to-sideline defender due to some tightness in his hips. Sometimes takes overaggressive angles to the ball trying to make a play. Needs to find ways to get off of blocks, especially crack blocks, as he struggles to stack and shed.
2024 Stats: 82 T, 3.5 TFL, 10 PBU, 4 QBH, 1 FF, 6 INT (1 TD). Draft projection: 1st/2nd round