*****The Jaylen Watson Thread*****

[Dante84]

More to come!

Jaylen Watson was drafted with pick 243 of round 7 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.21 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 159 out of 2001 CB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/jSuO8mu17Y #RAS #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/YJuF6Gte7P

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2022

Watson was an all-region receiver and also played cornerback at Lucy C. Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia, before moving across the country to play at Ventura College in California. He was a two-time junior college All-American cornerback there, signing with USC for 2019 but not enrolling in school. Watson went to Pullman instead for the 2020 season, earning honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors that fall (13 tackles, two pass breakups in three starts) as well as in 2021, when he posted 31 tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups and ranked second in the FBS with four fumble recoveries in 12 starts. He opted out of the team's bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. -- by Chad Reuter

Overview-- by Lance Zierlein
Watson is big and strong. He can be a physical presence when he's playing with patience from press coverage. With just two years of experience at the FBS level, he's predictably raw with his fundamentals, but the lack of agility and short-area quickness should be more than just short-term concerns. Currently, he's unable to stay in phase with quality route runners but does have physical traits that might warrant a practice squad stint for defenses reliant upon Cover 2 and/or Cover 3 schemes.
Strengths
-Good size, strength and length.
-Fought through adversity to find an FBS home.
-Developmental traits for zone-heavy units.
-Displayed improved fundamentals in 2021.
-Very physical in bullying the release from press.
-Strong punch drives through wideout's shoulders.
-Overwhelms catch point on contested catches.
-Willing hitter with plus strength in run support.
Weaknesses
-Impatient and often overextends in matching release in press.
-Lacks foot agility and quickness for man coverage.
-Footwork through transitions is sloppy and slow.
-Gets routed out of position fairly easily.
-Looked overmatched against USC wideouts.
-Doesn't trust his eyes just yet.
-Takes poor angles and lacks a credible burst to close on throws.
-Doesn't find the football in downfield route phase.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by ModSocks

He and Williams are why i have no problem trading Sneed. This secondary won't miss a beat.

I don't know that we won't miss a beat but I feel McDuffie as your one with Watson and Williams as 2/3 is as good as most in the league.

[Wisconsin_Chief]

Originally Posted by Dante84

Played all season with a torn labrum. Beast.

Surgery was a success I got my labrum in week 2!! Was given the option to get surgery or try to play the remainder of the season 5 months later 2x Super Bowl Champ!! A lot of discomfort a lot of pain this year but worth every moment �� pic.twitter.com/3OoHWhCIcy

— Wat’s Island�� (@JaylenWatson12) March 6, 2024

Good lord man, this entire team is full of dawgs! But we're meanies and ask our guys to go out and play hurt and win Super Bowls. Bunch of jerks our trainers are!

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Dante84

Played all season with a torn labrum. Beast.

Surgery was a success I got my labrum in week 2!! Was given the option to get surgery or try to play the remainder of the season 5 months later 2x Super Bowl Champ!! A lot of discomfort a lot of pain this year but worth every moment �� pic.twitter.com/3OoHWhCIcy

— Wat’s Island�� (@JaylenWatson12) March 6, 2024

That’s awesome.. and beats the hell out of working at Wendy’s. Dude was prob getting paid like $7/hr on the grill just a couple years ago. In the two years since then his annual salary is around $800,000 and he’s earned an additional $300,000 each year in bonuses for winning the last two Super Bowls.

What a life.

[JPH83]

Originally Posted by Wisconsin_Chief

Good lord man, this entire team is full of dawgs! But we're meanies and ask our guys to go out and play hurt and win Super Bowls. Bunch of jerks our trainers are!

I mean, yeah, give these boys the best facilities. They've earned it.

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by JPH83

I mean, yeah, give these boys the best facilities. They've earned it.

Maybe shit facilities is the key. Rich kids were never the best athletes at my school because they didnt work the hardest. Maybe our guys are flipping used tractor tires and pushing busses while other teams use their dance smith machines and “curl bars” whatever that is.

[Wisconsin_Chief]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

Maybe shit facilities is the key. Rich kids were never the best athletes at my school because they didnt work the hardest. Maybe our guys are flipping used tractor tires and pushing busses while other teams use their dance smith machines and “curl bars” whatever that is.

I know you're joking, but every 80s movie in history says you're right.

[JohnnyHammersticks]

Watson has stepped up huge so far.

I was a tiny bit concerned watching him in preseason, he just didn't look like himself. Now that he's healthy he's been playing lights out.

[Hammock Parties]

The most underrated part of our start is that Watson and Williams have been good enough that we don't really miss Sneed at all. Not when all is said and done.

What we lost in the secondary we've picked up in run defense.

[JohnnyHammersticks]

Chamarri Conner seems to have a couple big impact plays every game too. Nazeeh still needs a little work, but he's got the kind of athleticism that shows flashes of what the coaches see in him. McDuffie, Watson, Conner, Williams, Johnson, and Jaden Hicks...crazy the eye Veach & crew have for DBs. And that's not even talking about him snagging Sneed in the 4th round.

[Bump]

this guy has pretty much been starting since day 1 and he's been quietly very good, he's not talked about much

what a 7th round that was jeez

[TheGuardian]

Can't really tell Sneed is gone. Glad we kept Jones

[ThyKingdomCome15]

Veach is the envy of league when it comes to DB's. It started early and he just keeps finding gems.

-Traded for C. Ward his first year for a bag of chips.
- Signs Matieu
-Drafted Thornhill
-Drafted Sneed

Lost all those guys to FA/Trade... then what...

-Signs the hammer Justin Reid
-Drafts a sneaky good Bryan Cook
-Had McDuffie the first team All-Pro and he replaces Sneed
-Watson had a nice Playoff run and was ready
-Williams was in the same boat as Watson
-Drafts Chamari Connor
-Drafts Hicks, a young stud in the making.

That's an insanely impressive list and I'm sure I've left some guys out. Watson... man. He joins a long line of Veach gems. It's honestly surreal.

We've come a long way since Terrence Mitchell, Steven Nelson, and Orlando Schandrick. (I dare not say Dirty Dan for what he did against the Texans in the Playoffs. That was dirty and it was Dan lol.)

[Bump]

Originally Posted by ThyKingdomCome15

Veach is the envy of league when it comes to DB's. It started early and he just keeps finding gems.

-Traded for C. Ward his first year for a bag of chips.
- Signs Matieu
-Drafted Thornhill
-Drafted Sneed

Lost all those guys to FA/Trade... then what...

-Signs the hammer Justin Reid
-Drafts a sneaky good Bryan Cook
-Had McDuffie the first team All-Pro and he replaces Sneed
-Watson had a nice Playoff run and was ready
-Williams was in the same boat as Watson
-Drafts Chamari Connor
-Drafts Hicks, a young stud in the making.

That's an insanely impressive list and I'm sure I've left some guys out. Watson... man. He joins a long line of Veach gems. It's honestly surreal.

We've come a long way since Terrence Mitchell, Steven Nelson, and Orlando Schandrick. (I dare not say Dirty Dan for what he did against the Texans in the Playoffs. That was dirty and it was Dan lol.)

we've been a DB factory

Ward goes to another team and becomes all pro too, Veach might not have drafted him I guess, not sure if that was right before him becoming GM, but he's also another good recent DB