- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,196,061
- Reaction score
- 59
The Washington Huskies needed some reinforcements along the interior of the defensive line in the transfer portal, and found an important piece in former Sacramento State defensive tackle DeSean Watts.
At 6-foot and 313 pounds, Watts was an elite run defender at the FCS level in 2025, earning a 91.4 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest grade the analytics site gave out to any player at either the FBS or FCS level last season. Now on Montlake, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters is expecting him to be a critical part of the rotation at defensive tackle.
Throughout spring practice, Watts, who always has a big smile on his face, proved to be a versatile piece who mainly lined up at both nose tackle and three-technique, complementing those lined up next to him like Elinneus Davis and Ball State transfer Darin Conley very well.
"Just having fun out there," Watts said in April. "Just having fun out there, having Elinneus, Darin Conley, dudes that can get after the passer. And that could play the run too, just playing with them. It's been a blessing."
While he's made a name for himself as a run defender, Watts also proved that he can get after the quarterback during spring practice. In Walters' front, which allows him more opportunities to combat offensive linemen in one-on-one scenarios, he showed surprising quickness in his unique frame to go along with his impressive strength, which has helped make his transition from the Big Sky to the Big Ten a little easier.
"They're bigger, they're stronger," Watts added of his transition to the new conference. "But you've got to want it more than the other guy, so adjusting has been fine."
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: DeSean Watts can make a big impact on Washington Huskies D-Line
Continue reading...
At 6-foot and 313 pounds, Watts was an elite run defender at the FCS level in 2025, earning a 91.4 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest grade the analytics site gave out to any player at either the FBS or FCS level last season. Now on Montlake, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters is expecting him to be a critical part of the rotation at defensive tackle.
Throughout spring practice, Watts, who always has a big smile on his face, proved to be a versatile piece who mainly lined up at both nose tackle and three-technique, complementing those lined up next to him like Elinneus Davis and Ball State transfer Darin Conley very well.
"Just having fun out there," Watts said in April. "Just having fun out there, having Elinneus, Darin Conley, dudes that can get after the passer. And that could play the run too, just playing with them. It's been a blessing."
While he's made a name for himself as a run defender, Watts also proved that he can get after the quarterback during spring practice. In Walters' front, which allows him more opportunities to combat offensive linemen in one-on-one scenarios, he showed surprising quickness in his unique frame to go along with his impressive strength, which has helped make his transition from the Big Sky to the Big Ten a little easier.
"They're bigger, they're stronger," Watts added of his transition to the new conference. "But you've got to want it more than the other guy, so adjusting has been fine."
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: DeSean Watts can make a big impact on Washington Huskies D-Line
Continue reading...
