At 464 pounds, Florida’s Desmond Watson could become the heaviest draft pick in NFL history

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Considering everything massive defensive tackle Desmond Watson showed during Florida’s pro day, his most impressive feat may have been escaping the practice facility without anyone noticing.

The 6-foot-6, 464-pound pro prospect somehow slipped team personnel and media members following his workout in front of NFL scouts Thursday.

Watson’s teammates and coaches spoke on his behalf, all of them raving about the numbers he put up while trying to convince someone to make him the heaviest draft pick in NFL history next month.

“He moves way better than anybody thought he would at his size,” fellow defensive tackle Joey Slackman said. “I don’t see why a team wouldn’t give him a chance. He’s a football player through and through; I would want that guy on my team.”

Watson repped 225 pounds a whopping 36 times, which topped any bench-press performance at this year’s NFL combine. He covered the 40-yard dash in 5.93 seconds and recorded 25 inches in the vertical jump.

He looked winded during position drills, not all that surprising given Florida had just four defensive linemen in the rotation. But his size and strength — his weight, really — stood out during perhaps the most important day in his professional journey.

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“Dez, obviously, he’s a unicorn,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “You’ll go the rest of your career and you’ll never be around a guy that’s that stature. And then you get to know Dez. He’s extremely intelligent. He’s got a great sense of humor. He was a great teammate.

“Obviously showed up in good shape today, so he’ll get his shot, and I’m hoping he’ll make the most of it.”

Watson stepping on the scale was as eye-popping as his bench press. He was listed at 449 pounds last season, up from 435 pounds as a junior and 415 pounds as a sophomore. He’s had to manage his weight since he first stepped foot on campus in 2021, when then-Florida coach Dan Mullen called him “a 385-pound athlete.”

“He’s had numerous nutritionists, numerous position coaches, numerous strength coaches, and I think this past year we probably executed the best we have,” Napier said. “And I thought he played his best football of his career. In general, I think he’s learned a lot about habit-building, self-discipline.

“Ultimately, the guy’s frame score would indicate that he’s going to be a huge — that number’s always going to be pretty big. He’s 6-foot-6 and just the density, the bone structure. It’s just a big man.”

Watson never missed a game in his four seasons in Gainesville. His highlights, though, are few and far between. He rag-dolled South Florida running back Brian Battie in 2022 and ripped the ball out of South Carolina running back Jaheim Bell’s hands for a forced fumble and a fumble return later that year. Watson probably would have scored had quarterback Spencer Rattler missed an open-field tackle.

Watson, the ultimate space-eater, finished his collegiate career with 63 tackles and 1½ sacks. He also carried the ball for a 1-yard gain and lined up at fullback for a few more plays against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl in December.

“Dez is a really, talented, athletic guy,” Florida defensive back Trikweze Bridges said. “We all know that. We all see it.”

But will it be enough for an NFL team to spend a draft pick on him? The heaviest NFL players ever drafted were 380 pounds: offensive linemen Trent Brown (Florida, 2015) and Daniel Faalele (Minnesota, 2022). Watson has them by nearly a hundred pounds.

“Dez came out here and really shocked a lot of the scouts, especially when he ran his 40,” defensive tackle Cam Jackson said. “I feel like he shocked a lot of people. A lot of big guys can’t move the way Dez can move.

“He’s working to get the weight down. I feel like a team is going to take a shot on him. If I was them, I would. You don’t find too many nose tackles moving like him. Dez is a big, disruptive guy, and he puts in the work.”

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