The Steelers picked up a long and experienced option for their secondary by selecting Texas cornerback Ryan Watts with the 195th overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL Draft Saturday afternoon.
Watts played in 19 games over two seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Texas in 2022. He was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection after that 2022 season and played in 24 more games over the course of his two seasons at Texas.
He is another lengthy, built-up cornerback at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, which measures slightly larger than what Joey Porter Jr. posted in both categories (6-2 1/2, 190) at last year's NFL Combine.
"Just his body of work," Mike Tomlin said about Watts after the Steelers' draft concluded. "He's a long guy. He runs well, he has got position flexibility. He plays with an edge. And so those are some of the real tangible reasons why."
Here is the moment Watts got the call from Tomlin:
The fam is hyped up!
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 27, 2024
pic.twitter.com/clkICuVsNd
Watts ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, jumped a 40 1/2-inch vertical and a 10-foot-5 broad, and ran a 6.82-second three-cone drill and a 4.13-second short shuttle at the Combine. His biggest knock is his mobility as a cornerback but that could be remedied by a potential move to safety. Watts said the Steelers liked his versatility, which opens the door for that possibility.
If anything, Watts would likely slot into an immediate special teams role. He played on Ohio State's special teams unit and carried that over to Texas.
"I feel like I could fit anywhere, really," Watts said over a conference call. "I feel like with my size and with my speed and the way I can move and my body -- I feel like a lot of 6-3 corners can't move like I can. So just keep developing, I feel like I could be played at safety, nickel, corner. I feel like I can maximize my potential anywhere, really."
