The defensive line player Desmond Watson presented his football skills in front of the scouts at the NFL Pro Day of Florida Gators on Thursday.
Watson, which is listed at 464 pounds, aims to make the history of the NFL. If a franchise selects Watson in the draft next month, he would become the heaviest player written in the history of the League.
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The Florida Watson Florida defensive player does an exercise during the NFL Football Pro Day of the school on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Gainesville, Florida. (AP photo / John Raoux)
Watson did not speak with the media after going through exercises in Gainesville on Thursday. But the teammates and the Watson coaches spoke in his name and praised the prospect of the NFL draft for what he was able to accomplish during his stay with the Gators.
“He moves much better than anyone who thought of his size,” said his defensive colleague Joey Slackman. “I do not see why a team would not give him luck. He is a football player from start to finish; I would like this guy to my team.”
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Watson attended this year’s NFL screening combination, where he wrote 225 pounds 36 times. He also finished the dashboard with 40 yards in 5.93 seconds. Watson’s vertical jump has reached 25 inches.
Florida Gators Desmond Watson’s defensive line player participated in an exercise during spring football training at the Steve Spurrier Field at the Ben Hill Griffin stadium in Gainesville, Florida, on April 1, 2023. (Matt Pendleton / USA Today Network)
Watson’s size and strength stood out for perhaps the most important day of his professional trip.
“Dez, of course, is a unicorn,” said Florida coach Billy Napier. “You will go the rest of your career, and you will never be with a guy who is this stature. And then you get to know Dez. He is extremely intelligent. He has a great sense of humor. He was a great teammate.
“Obviously, he appeared in good shape today, so he will have his shot, and I hope he will take advantage of it.”
Watson was listed at 449 pounds last season, against 435 pounds as a junior and 415 pounds in the second year. He had to manage his weight since he took a step on the campus in 2021, when the Florida coach of the time, Dan Mullen, called him “an athlete of 385 pounds”.
The Florida Watson Florida Defensive Player has stripped a bullet for a recovery escaped against South Carolina on November 12, 2022. (Doug Engle / USA Today Network)
“He has had many nutritionists, many position coaches, many strength coaches, and I think that last year, we probably executed the best we have,” said Napier. “And I thought he was playing his best football in his career. In general, I think he learned a lot about building habits, self -discipline.
“In the end, the guy’s image score would indicate that it will be a huge. This number will always be quite large. It measures 6 feet 6 inches and just density, the bone structure. He is just a big man.”
Watson never missed a match in his four seasons in Gainesville. His strengths, however, are rare.
He caught the ragus of southern Florida, Brian Battie, in 2022 and torn off the Southern Carolina ball into Ballon portions of Jaheim Bell for a forced escape and a comeback escaped later that year. Watson would probably have marked if the quarter-Arrière Spencer Rattle had missed a tackle in the open field.
Watson ended his collegial career with 63 plated and 1.5 bags.
Trent Brown and Daniel Faalele attacking lines are the heaviest players in the NFL to date. The two players were 380 pounds.
