Florida football defensive lineman Desmond Watson wasn’t drafted, but he made history Saturday night by becoming the heaviest player signed in NFL history.
Perhaps no Florida football player received bigger hype than Desmond Watson.
At 464 pounds, he would become the heaviest player drafted in NFL history if a team selected him Saturday.
Unfortunately, no team pulled the trigger Saturday, but Watson will still get the chance to play at the next level.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Watson as an undrafted free agent Saturday evening, first broken by the Tampa Bay Times’ Greg Auman.
Watson’s signing makes him the heaviest player signed in NFL history. It also marks a return home for the Florida native. Watson grew up in Plant City and starred at Armwood High School in Seffner, just outside Tampa.
A 3-star prospect, Watson signed with Florida and spent all four years in Gainesville. He had 63 tackles, one forced fumble and fumble recovery and 1.5 sacks at UF. In his final college game at the Gasparilla Bowl – played in Tampa – Watson had his most memorable game with a massive tackle of Green Wave QB Ty Thompson. Later in the game, Watson received a handoff and rushed for one yard, causing him to strike the Heisman pose.
In late March at Florida pro day, Watson impressed scouts with a bench press of 36 – a better score than anyone in the NFL Combine. His 40 time of 5.86 is solid for a player of his size.
Gator coach Billy Napier and players were not surprised by Watson’s mark. Nothing he does surprises anyone.
“Des is a unicorn. You’ll go the rest of your career; you’ll never be around a guy of that stature,” Napier said. “Once you get to know Des, he’s extremely intelligent, got a great sense of humor.”
He joins a defensive line that includes Vita Vea, who weighs 346 pounds.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators…
Source link : https://www.gainesville.com/story/sports/college/sec/2025/04/27/florida-football-desmond-watson-signs-tampa-bay-buccaneers-heaviest-player-nfl-history-gators-uf-fa/83308241007/
Author :
Publish date : 2025-04-27 13:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
