Denver Broncos: Undrafted rookie spotlight on OL Hunter Watts
Denver Broncos undrafted free agent Hunter Watts is a mammoth of a man, but he faces long odds to make this year’s roster.
After going undrafted, Watts, who spent his college career at the University of Central Arkansas, signed with the Broncos, a team that has faced issues along the offensive line for several years.
Watts is a physical specimen who will not often be outworked in the weight room. He has the size to eclipse most of the players on the field at 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds. But does he have the right amount of athleticism and technique to succeed in the NFL?
The first knock on Watts is going to be the level of competition he went up against. Many small-school prospects don’t get much draft consideration for that reason alone.
Born in San Antonio, Watts was passed up by all of the Texas schools, where football is on the same level of religion. He ended up playing for the Bears and appeared in 35 games for the school, making 12 starts as a senior.
Central Arkansas is not necessarily known for its athletics, but it has had a small handful of players play in the NFL, including former Washington Redskins defensive stalwart Monte Coleman.
It is also the university that NBA legend Scottie Pippen came from.
Looking at the football team, you will see opponents such as McNeese State, Lamar and Incarnate Word on the schedule. The Bears did win all three of those games last season, but against Hawaii, easily the biggest name on their 2019 schedule, they were defeated by 19 points.
In an interview with Damond Talbot over at Draft Diamonds last summer, Watts said that his teammates would list his physicality as his best on-field trait. He also talked about drawing inspiration from the movie character Rocky Balboa.
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Chance to make 55-man roster (1-10 scale): 1
Though Watts is a big, physical kid, it will be tough sledding to make the 2020 roster.
The Broncos are a team that has faced heavy criticism for the product put out by the offensive line during the last several years, but the Broncos have at least six guys who are for sure making the roster. There are also rumors that the team is considering signing veteran Jason Peters.
To make the team, Watts would need to take a roster spot from the likes of Jake Rodgers, Austin Schlottmann, Calvin Anderson, Quinn Bailey or Tyler Jones, assuming at least one of them will make the team.
The Broncos, like most teams, would love to have at least one swing tackle and Watts will be in competition for that spot, but he will be buried in the pecking order. Most teams generally like to have about eight offensive linemen on the roster (nine could be conceivable now that there are two extra roster spots) but the late-round selection of Netane Muti makes the odds of a guy like Watts sticking around even slimmer.
Bringing in a guy like Peters would all but eliminate those chances.
Watts is realistically competing for a spot on the team’s practice squad. He will have to battle all summer for reps in practice and will be working with third and fourth-string guys in preseason games.