Overview

• Watts won a starting job next to Jessie Bates III out of training camp and has been a key piece of Atlanta's secondary.
• Atlanta traded up to No. 96 in April to draft the Notre Dame product, a move now drawing early praise.
• Analytical and media evaluations back his impact, including a 76.3 Pro Football Focus grade and The Athletic’s early All‑Rookie Team.
• Team and league context highlight rarity, with Watts the first Falcons rookie with multiple interceptions since 2016 and the first to do so in the first four games since 1980.
• His surge has put him in early Defensive Rookie of the Year conversations, with some sportsbooks listing odds around +3500, as teammate Bijan Robinson collected NFC Offensive Player of the Month.