Carter's Classroom: Tape on T.J. Watt shows fundamentalist

The Steelers addressed their most dire need with their first pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night when they selected T.J. Watt, a pure outside linebacker out of Wisconsin who recorded 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss while helping the Badgers reach the Big Ten championship before losing to Penn State.

I previewed Watt earlier this month, but this study will delve more deeply into the value the Steelers saw in him, given the talent on the board.



The first round saw several pass rushers selected in its later half. The Eagles selected Derek Barnett at 14. After him, it was Charles Harris, Takkarist McKinley and Taco Charlton. Reuben Foster was the top talent at his position, but Watt was arguably atop the remaining pass rushers. While Tyus Bowser, Jordan Willis and Tim Williams each showed more natural pass rush skills, Watt's length and football instincts make him a viable option as the 30th pick.

Watt graded out as an athletic player both in his tape and at the NFL Combine. While he wasn't the fastest linebacker with a 4.69 speed and didn't rank high on the bench press, he was among the best in both jump events, the three-cone drill and both the 20-yard and 60-yard shuttles.

A brief rundown of the Steelers' newest player:

COULD START IN 2017

What stands out about Watt is that he is a fundamentals-type of defensive player. He looks to win hand battles to gain leverage over an opponent by getting his hands to the inside of the chest. He combines those fundamentals with good football awareness and a solid understanding of his role in the defense.

Watch below as he takes on the right tackle and is able to both shove the tackle back inside, but then also keep his outside shoulder free enough to be able to force the running back to the inside:



Watt could make an instant impact for the Steelers by simply being reliable on the edge. But the reason they were going for outside linebackers in this draft was not because they could stop the run, but because they need to be able to bring more heat on the quarterback. And what will help Watt get more playing time in that capacity is how he wins hand battles at the line. That won't come with pure speed or strength but, rather, his long arms that come with his 6-4 height.

Watch how he takes on the pulling center by allowing the center to lean in to engage Watt, which he precisely times in order to swim past his opponent:



Watt has the size to win on the NFL level and shows the wherewithal to understand his role in a scheme. His lateral athleticism and ability to work in small spaces can combine with those abilities to make a prospect who could have an impact on the Steelers in his first year.

NOT A PROTOTYPICAL PASS RUSHER

So if Watt is such a good team player and exhibits the right height and skills to start in his first season, why did so many teams pass on him?

The real reason is because he does not fit the typical bill for an elite pass rusher in today's NFL.

The top edge rusher prospects show a variety of ways to engage offensive tackles while narrowing his shoulders in the attack to give offensive tackles the smallest target for their hands to engage. When Watt rushes, his go-to plan of attack is a bull rush by getting his hands inside the opponent, driving him into the backfield, then shedding him once they're far enough into the backfield.

Watch how he does just that here:



Notice how Watt does a great job driving the tackle into the quarterback. That's good, but in the NFL it won't be so easy to win those hand battles.

He does a good job maximizing his length to keep the arms of tackles from ever gaining leverage on the interior of his body. You'll see here how he does that and keeps his legs moving so that once he does get past the hands of his opponent, he's practically free in the backfield:



Watt doesn't have a solid move outside of the bull rush and slightly playing off of it, while other pass rush prospects have mastered spin moves, rip moves, swim moves and a variety of other finesse and power techniques.

PLAYMAKER

Watt shines brightly when he has the chance to be in the spotlight. Once he fulfills his role, he looks to find a way to make a big play for his team. Watch here when he returned an interception for a touchdown:



Notice in the play above how Watt goes from playing the potential reverse, to covering the option in the flat, to rushing the passer only to transition one more time to make the interception.

That shows his capability to understand the variance of roles a player can have on a single play from scrimmage. Understanding just one role is something you expect any NFL player to do, but his ability to rotate between assignments is impressive.

REACH? STEAL? OR JUST RIGHT?

Watt is without a doubt a good prospect. Any time a player with his size can add to his production and is football savvy, coaches can be excited about that guy coming into camp to learn.

It's also an increase of importance because five edge rushers came off the board before the Steelers got their chance to address the biggest need.

But the Steelers needed a top of the line edge rusher that could be extremely disruptive. Watt could work on learning and refining more pass rush moves he could employ in the proves. and also increasing his strength.

His 21 repetitions on the bench press were not impressive considering how the rest of his class faired.

Typically a player like Watt would be fine to go at 30th, but the Steelers faced a true dilemma when Foster was still on the board. The Steelers opted to pass on Foster's injury history and the baggage of his failed drug test during the combine for Watt's sure-fire profile.

For now, Watt feels like a reach because other edge rushers that looked to be his caliber were still available and looked like they could have fallen to the Steelers in their second round pick.

But that can change if he finds a way to make it on to the field as a starter before the end of his rookie season. If he manages to earn a spot in the starting lineup and gets some sacks,  this could be a pick that was just right.