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The Atlanta Falcons may have missed the playoffs last season, but they sure didn't miss with their third-round pick in Terry Fontenot's final draft as general manager. The team used the third-round pick it acquired in the James Pearce Jr. trade to move up five spots for Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts, and the rest is history.
Watts defied the odds last season, and not only won the starting job in training camp, but he led all rookies with five interceptions (tied for 2nd-most in the NFL). The young safety is a key member of what should be one of the NFL's top secondaries this season.
While it's hard to imagine Watts playing any better, NFL.com analyst Nick Shook thinks it's possible. The 24-year-old was listed in a feature highlighting 10 players who "should improve" in 2026.
"Watts had an excellent rookie season, racking up five interceptions and 11 passes defended on his way to finishing fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting," wrote Shook. "That's a high bar to exceed, but it's also indicative of how much faith I have in Watts, a player I could not believe was still available in the latter portion of the 2025 NFL Draft's third round."
Shook goes on to call Watts "an animal" before making a bold prediction about the safety's production in 2026.
"Watts is an animal and the perfect fit for Jeff Ulbrich's defense, which he demonstrated as a rookie. Now, he's poised to build upon that sparkling debut. Circle back to this nugget when he posts even better numbers in Year 2."
If Watts can somehow perform even better than he did during his rookie season, the Falcons defense will be in great shape. The simple fact that he shares the secondary with Bates will make it tough for quarterbacks to avoid Watts in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFL.com makes bold prediction about Falcons defender in 2026
Continue reading...
Watts defied the odds last season, and not only won the starting job in training camp, but he led all rookies with five interceptions (tied for 2nd-most in the NFL). The young safety is a key member of what should be one of the NFL's top secondaries this season.
While it's hard to imagine Watts playing any better, NFL.com analyst Nick Shook thinks it's possible. The 24-year-old was listed in a feature highlighting 10 players who "should improve" in 2026.
"Watts had an excellent rookie season, racking up five interceptions and 11 passes defended on his way to finishing fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting," wrote Shook. "That's a high bar to exceed, but it's also indicative of how much faith I have in Watts, a player I could not believe was still available in the latter portion of the 2025 NFL Draft's third round."
Shook goes on to call Watts "an animal" before making a bold prediction about the safety's production in 2026.
"Watts is an animal and the perfect fit for Jeff Ulbrich's defense, which he demonstrated as a rookie. Now, he's poised to build upon that sparkling debut. Circle back to this nugget when he posts even better numbers in Year 2."
If Watts can somehow perform even better than he did during his rookie season, the Falcons defense will be in great shape. The simple fact that he shares the secondary with Bates will make it tough for quarterbacks to avoid Watts in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFL.com makes bold prediction about Falcons defender in 2026
Continue reading...
