T. J. Watt Contents College career Professional career Personal life References External links Navigation...
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1994 birthsLiving peopleAmerican football linebackersPeople from Pewaukee, WisconsinPittsburgh Steelers playersPlayers of American football from WisconsinSportspeople from the Milwaukee metropolitan areaWisconsin Badgers football players
American footballoutside linebackerPittsburgh SteelersNational Football Leaguecollege footballUniversity of Wisconsin2017 NFL DraftJ. J. WattHouston TexansDerek WattLos Angeles ChargersPewaukee High Schooltight endWisconsin BadgersPaul ChrystredshirtMichigan StatePurdueTwitter2017 NFL DraftJabrill PeppersDare OgunbowaleVince BiegelCorey ClementSojourn SheltonGreen Bay PackersTed ThompsonMike TomlinJoey PorterCarolina Panthers'New York Jets'Kevin GreeneBucky BrooksESPNPittsburgh Steelers2017 NFL Draft2013James HarrisonNew York GiantsPittsburgh Steelers'Cleveland BrownsDeShone KizerAaron Jones1988Minnesota VikingsCincinnati Bengals'Andy DaltonBud DupreeLaMarr WoodleyAFC NorthJacksonville JaguarsBud DupreeVince WilliamsJon BosticPittsburgh Steelers’Cleveland BrownsAtlanta Falcons2018Pro Football FocusPewaukee, WisconsinJ.J.DerekLos Angeles Chargers2016 NFL DraftHouston Texans2011 NFL DraftWisconsin
| No. 90 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Outside linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1994-10-11) October 11, 1994 Pewaukee, Wisconsin | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 252 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Pewaukee (Pewaukee, Wisconsin) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Wisconsin | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2018 | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Trent Jordan "T. J." Watt (born October 11, 1994) is an American football outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. His older brothers are J. J. Watt of the Houston Texans and Derek Watt of the Los Angeles Chargers.[1][2]
Contents
1 College career
1.1 Statistics
2 Professional career
2.1 2017
2.2 2018
2.3 NFL career statistics
3 Personal life
4 References
5 External links
College career
Coming out of Pewaukee High School, Watt was rated as a three-star recruit by various recruiting services.[3]
Watt started his collegiate career as a tight end recruit for the Wisconsin Badgers.[4] Watt's knee was injured in the 2014 season and he was in the recovery process until the middle of the 2015 season.[5] He also never played a game from October 2012, to September 2015.[6]
In July 2015, Watt was asked by head coach Paul Chryst to switch to a defensive position as a redshirt sophomore.[4] Badgers' outside linebackers coach Tim Tibesar recalled Watt's position change saying, "At that time, even though he was in his third fall at Wisconsin, it was kind of like having a freshman come in. You're trying to teach him for the first time how to play outside 'backer in our system."[7] After the fourth game of his junior season, he led the Big Ten conference in sacks.[4] In the Michigan State game, he was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and was given the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week Award.[4]
During the 2016 season, Watt recorded 59 total tackles and 11.5 sacks.[8] Additionally, he recorded an interception and a defensive touchdown during the Badgers' game against Purdue.[9] Watt also received first team All-American honors by Sports Illustrated and second team honors by The Associated Press for his play during the 2016 season.[10] On November 29, 2016, Watt was named First Team All-Big Ten.[11] On January 3, 2017, Watt announced on Twitter that he would forgo his senior season and will be entering the 2017 NFL Draft.
Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Total | Ast | Sack | Int | Yards | Avg | TD | PD | FF | FR | |||
| 2015 | Wisconsin | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Wisconsin | 14 | 63 | 38 | 25 | 11.5 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Career | 22 | 70 | 41 | 29 | 11.5 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | |
Professional career
Watt received an invitation to the NFL Combine as one of the top edge rushers in the draft and completed all the combine drills. Among linebackers, Watt finished second in the vertical jump and three-cone drill, tied for first in the broad jump (with Jabrill Peppers), and also tied for first in the short shuttle.[12] He attended Wisconsin's pro day, along with Dare Ogunbowale, Vince Biegel, Corey Clement, Sojourn Shelton, and six other teammates.[13]Green Bay Packers' General Manager Ted Thompson and Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin were among the 65 team representatives and scouts present for his pro day as Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker's coach Joey Porter, Carolina Panthers' and New York Jets' outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene led Watt's positional drills. The majority of NFL draft experts and analysts projected Watt to be a late first round
or second round pick . He was ranked the second best outside linebacker in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, ranked the fourth best outside linebacker by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, and was ranked the ninth best edge rusher by Sports Illustrated.[14][15]ESPN
also ranked Watt the 44th best prospect available in the draft.[16]
 T.J. Watt’s NFL Combine Workout | |
| T.J. Watt runs the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds |
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 1⁄2 in (1.94 m) | 252 lb (114 kg) | 33 1⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 11 in (0.28 m) | 4.69 s | 1.59 s | 2.71 s | 4.13 s | 6.79 s | 37 in (0.94 m) | 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) | 21 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[17][18] | ||||||||||||
2017
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Watt in the first round (30th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[19] Watt was the fourth linebacker selected and the second outside linebacker. He is also the fourth linebacker taken in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2013.
| Steelers draft T.J. Watt 30th overall | |
| NFL Draft Profile: T.J. Watt |
On June 14, 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Watt to a fully guaranteed, four-year, $9.25 million contract with a signing bonus of $4.87 million.[20][21][22]
He entered training camp competing with James Harrison for the starting right outside linebacker position. Watt was named the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting right outside linebacker to begin the regular season.[23] Watt saw action in the NFL for the first time in the team's first preseason game against the New York Giants, where he made two sacks in the 20–12 victory.[24]
| T.J. Watt Week 1 Highlights | |
| Top 10 T.J. Watt plays of 2017 | |
| T.J. Watt puts game in ice with last second strip sack |
Watt made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opener against the Cleveland Browns on September 10, 2017, where he recorded seven combined tackles, two sacks, and one interception, which came off of quarterback DeShone Kizer, as the Steelers won by a score of 21–18. He recorded his first career sack, tackle, and interception during the game and returned the interception for 17-yards.[25] He became the first rookie to start at linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers since Aaron Jones in 1988.[26] The following week, he assisted on two tackles before leaving during the first half of the Steelers' 26–9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings with groin injury. He was declared out for Week 3.[27] On October 22, 2017, Watt made six combined tackles and made his fourth sack of the season on Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton during the Steelers' 29–14 victory.[28] He tied Bud Dupree (2014) and LaMarr Woodley (2007) for the franchise record for most sacks by a rookie with his fourth.[29] Watt finished his rookie season with 54 combined tackles (40 solo), seven pass deflections, seven sacks, and an interception in 15 games and 15 starts.[30]
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished atop the AFC North with a 13-3 record and received a playoff berth. On January 14, 2018, Watt started his first career playoff game and recorded two combined tackles and deflected a pass in the 45-42 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC divisional round.
2018
Watt entered training camp slated as a starting outside linebacker. Head coach Mike Tomlin named Watt and Bud Dupree the starting outside linebackers to begin the season, alongside inside linebackers Vince Williams and Jon Bostic.[31]
| T.J. watt strip sacks Ryan and Fort recovers for TD | |
| Top 5 T.J. Watt plays vs. Browns in Week 1 |
Watt started in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season-opener at the Cleveland Browns and recorded a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo), three sacks, and blocked a potential game-winning field goal during overtime in a 21-21 tie. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.[32] On October 7, 2018, Watt recorded eight combined tackles, tied his season-high of three sacks, and forced a fumble in the Steelers’ 41-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons. His performance earned him his second AFC Defensive Player of the Week award of the year.[33] He started in all 16 games in 2018 and recorded 68 combined tackles (50 solo), 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three pass deflections.[30]
He received an overall grade of 75.8 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 24th highest grade among all qualifying edge defenders.[34]
NFL career statistics
| NFL career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
| Solo | Ast | Total | Sack | Int | Yards | Avg | TD | PD | FF | FR | |||||||||||
| 2017 | PIT | 15 | 40 | 14 | 54 | 7.0 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2018 | PIT | 16 | 50 | 18 | 68 | 13.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||||||||
| Career | 31 | 90 | 32 | 122 | 20.0 | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
Personal life
Watt was raised by his parents, Connie and John Watt, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. His father was a firefighter for 25 years and his mother is the vice president of an independent inspections company. His two older brothers, J.J. and Derek, both played at Wisconsin and are both currently playing in the NFL.[35] Derek is a fullback for the Los Angeles Chargers and was selected in the sixth round (198th overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft. J.J. is a five-time Pro Bowl defensive end for the Houston Texans and was selected in the first round (11th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was teammates with Derek at Wisconsin from 2012-2015. During his time at Wisconsin, Watt majored in retailing and consumer behavior.[36]
While the parents of the Watt boys surely had their hands full, the boys learned to turn their competitive drive to help each other get better in their respective position. When on family vacations, which the family enjoyed regularly, the boys would often stay together and improve on their skills. Towards the later years of oldest brother J.J.’s college career, however, it became more difficult for the family to travel without him being recognized, and the brothers even joked around about being his bodyguards when the fans would become too much for the football star.[37]
References
^ Kaplan, Emily (October 12, 2016). "Wisconsin's Watt the Third". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 21, 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Potrykus, Jeff (August 9, 2016). "T.J. Watt continues his climb with Badgers". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ Baby, Ben. "Wisconsin LB T.J. Watt is stepping out from brother J.J.'s shadow to lead Wisconsin at Cotton Bowl". SportsDay. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ abcd Galloway, Jason (September 27, 2016). "Badgers football: T.J. Watt becoming star for UW just a year after position change". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
^ Kaplan, Emily. "Wisconsin's Watt the Third". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
^ NFL Network (April 5, 2017), Pass Rushers: Game Changers Ep. 2 | Watt, Allen, Harris, & Thomas | 2017 NFL Draft | NFL Network, retrieved April 11, 2017
^ Temple, Jesse (September 29, 2016). "SC on the Road: T.J. Watt carrying on a family tradition at Wisconsin". ESPN. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ Hunt, Tyler (December 20, 2016). "Wisconsin Football: Is TJ Watt Headed to the NFL Draft?". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ Bahr, Chris (December 9, 2016). "Watch Wisconsin's T.J. Watt showcase his athleticism on an incredible pick-6". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ Potrykus, Jeff (January 3, 2017). "Badgers linebacker T.J. Watt leaving early for NFL". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
^ "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
^ Lisk, Jason. "T.J. Watt Made a Lot of Money at the Combine, Put Up Outstanding Numbers". thebiglead.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ Owen Riese (March 15, 2017). "Former Wisconsin Badgers work out for scouts at pro day". buckys5thquarter.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ "*T.J. Watt, DS #2 OLB, Wisconsin". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
^ Brooks, Bucky (April 25, 2017). "Bucky Brooks' top 5 2017 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". NFL.com. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
^ Legwold, Jeff. "Ranking 2017 draft's Top 100 Players". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
^ Galloway, Jason (March 6, 2017). "2017 NFL Combine results for former Wisconsin Badgers". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - T.J. Watt". Retrieved August 31, 2017.
^ Orr, Conor. "Steelers draft T.J. Watt". NFL.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
^ "Sportrac.com: T.J. Watt contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
^ Varley, Teresa (June 14, 2017). "Steelers sign No. 1 draft pick". Steelers.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
^ Daniels, Tim. "T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers Agree to Rookie Contract". BleacherReport.com.
^ "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart: 08/01/2017". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
^ Patra, Kevin. "T.J. Watt has 2 sacks in first preseason game". NFL.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
^ Sessler, Marc. "Steeler's extend Brown's losing streak on opening day". NFL.com. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
^ "Watt's Up: Steelers rookie T.J. Watt jumps into starting gig". usatoday.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ Goldberg, Rob (September 22, 2017). "T.J. Watt out vs. Bears with Groin Injury". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ "NFL Player stats: T.J. Watt (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ Bryan DeArdo (October 23, 2017). "T.J. Watt chasing Steelers' rookie record for sacks". 247sports.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ ab "NFL Player stats: T.J. Watt (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
^ Chester, Simon. "Steelers publish their first depth chart of the 2018 season". behindthesteelcurtain.com. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
^ Teope, Herbie (September 12, 2018). "Mahomes, Fitzpatrick among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
^ Maya, Adam (October 10, 2018). "Drew Brees, Isaiah Crowell among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
^ "Pro Football Focus: TJ Watt". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
^ Haley, Andy (April 28, 2017). "How T.J. Watt Transitioned From Tight End to a Top NFL Linebacker Prospect". stack.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ "Wisconsin Badgers football: T.J. Watt bio". uwbadgers.com. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^ "Inside the Watt family photo album: European excursions, cruises, more". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
External links
- Wisconsin Badgers bio
- Pittsburgh Steelers bio
