A couple of stories on Ben Watson

I hope that these haven't been posted on another draft thread and if they have, please forgive me.

The first story is from the State newspaper:

Posted on Mon, Apr. 19, 2004


NFL DRAFT


Watson close to fulfilling his dream

DAVID NEWTON

Senior Writer


CHARLOTTE — The Rev. Ken Watson wasn’t sure what to think the first time his 4-year-old son asked to be locked in the closet.

After all, parents have been accused of child abuse for less than that.

But it made perfect sense once Watson learned that his son wanted to be locked in the closet so he could run out and pretend he was being introduced like the NFL players he idolized on television.

“I’d say, ‘Now starting for the Washington Redskins, No. 22, Benjamin Watson,’” the elder Watson said.

Those make-believe days are about to become reality for Watson, a 23-year-old tight end from the University of Georgia.

The former star at Rock Hill’s Northwestern High is projected to be selected in the first two rounds of Saturday’s NFL draft.

“It’s been amazing to watch this little kid’s dream come true,” the elder Watson said.

The journey has been interesting. Watson left his home in Norfolk, Va., before 10th grade when his father was asked to start a church in Rock Hill.

He made the varsity at Northwestern High, a Class AAAA power that seldom kept 10th-graders.

Three years later, with a 3.8 grade-point average and 1,240 score on the SAT, he enrolled at Duke after being turned down by Notre Dame and Virginia.

After starting for Duke as a freshman, he transferred to Georgia because he wanted a chance to play for a national contender.

He put his name into the 2003 NFL draft after his junior season, but withdrew it a couple of days before the deadline.

Much of last season, he was hampered by an ankle injury that kept his stock from rising.

Now Watson is ranked among the top three tight ends with Miami’s Kellen Winslow Jr. and Florida’s Ben Troupe.

“(He is) my No. 2 tight end behind Winslow,” said Frank Coyle, a former NFL scout who runs Draftinsiders.com. “A kid I think is going to be a better pro than a collegian.”

Watson’s critics were quieted at the NFL Combine and during his pro day at Georgia with what draft analyst Mike Detillier called “Bruce Jenner stuff.”

Watson, who last summer set a Georgia record with a 565-pound bench press, cranked out 34 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press and displayed a 40-inch vertical leap at the combine.

During his pro day, he unleashed a 40-yard dash time better than 4.4 seconds, prompting a scout from the Baltimore Ravens to yell, “He’s a freak.”

Georgia strength coach Dave Van Halanger said Watson’s 40-yard dash time was faster than any of Georgia’s wide receivers or defensive backs.

“I opened a few eyes,” Watson said. “ I knew I could do it, but just doing it on a national level where everybody is there, where everybody gets a chance to talk about you — that definitely propelled me a little higher in the draft.”

Northwestern coach Jimmy Wallace isn’t surprised by Watson’s success. He has never seen a more well-rounded athlete physically, mentally and spiritually.

“He’s the ultimate athlete,” Wallace said. “When you look at Benjamin Watson, the old YMCA triangle of mind, body and spirit comes to mind. He personifies that.”

The YMCA also comes to mind for Watson’s father, recalling how his son came home from a workout in the weight room at school and went to the local gym to lift some more.

“When we first got here, he couldn’t bench 180 pounds,” Watson’s father said. “He came out doing 450. It was because of hard work. He carried that straight across academically and athletically.”

Wallace almost laughs when NFL scouts and executives call to do background checks.

“My response is you don’t have to do an FBI check on this young man,” he said. “You most definitely don’t have to drug test him. He’s an awesome kid. Impeccable character.”

Watson credits his family, particularly his father, who played linebacker and defensive end at Maryland for Jerry Claiborne and was a freshman the year Randy White was a senior.

“It’s funny,” Ben said. “At the combine I was interviewing with the Vikings and coach Mike Tice, he remembered my dad.”

Watson’s father said he probably could have played in the NFL, but opted to go into the ministry instead of returning for his fifth season.

“When I told coach Claiborne, he wasn’t surprised,” Watson said. “He said he always knew that was my dream.”

The elder Watson was instrumental in his son’s returning to Georgia for a fifth year.

But the season didn’t go as Ben Watson hoped. The ankle injury limited him to 21 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

“That was frustrating for him, unable to go full speed all the time,” Watson’s father said.

Ben Watson said the only thing that separated him from Winslow last season was the offense. Miami threw 60 times to Winslow for 605 yards.

Watson showed that type of potential during the SEC Championship, catching four passes for 86 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown.

“Hopefully, I’ll be one of those guys that didn’t get a lot in college but blows it up in the NFL,” Watson said.

Which team gets that potential is uncertain. Watson said Tampa Bay and Tennessee have shown the most interest.

The Carolina Panthers, with the 30th pick, also might be in the market for a tight end.

Watson doesn’t have a preference, although the Panthers would give his dad more opportunities to see him play in person because of his Sunday job.

“I’m prepared to watch on TV,” Watson’s father said. “I’ve already got DirectTV.”

And when he watches he will remember the little boy that wanted to be locked in the closet.

Reach Newton at 803-802-2091 or [email protected].

 

And here's the second

This one is from the Rock Hill Herald:

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
The eldest of six children was always driven to compete


By Darin Gantt The Herald
(Published April 18‚ 2004)


Sure, Benjamin Watson might be the strongest and fastest tight end in next weekend's NFL Draft.
But fact is, he can't always outrun his sister.

Watson, the Northwestern High and University of Georgia graduate laughed last week when reminiscing about races with his sister, Jessica, a state record-holder in the 800 meters and current standout on Coastal Carolina's track team.

"Under a quarter mile, I can beat her," Watson said frankly. "Anything longer than that, she's got me. The good news is, I don't ever have to run any farther than that."

The story underscores the importance of family to the 23-year-old Watson, who's expected to become the area's highest-drafted player in 10 years during next weekend's NFL Draft. The area hasn't had a first-round pick since Northwestern's Jeff Burris went to Buffalo with the 27th overall pick in 1994, and Watson is expected to be a late-first or early-second-round choice.

Watson left scouts impressed during his workouts at Georgia earlier this spring, when he checked in at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, ran 40-yard dashes in the 4.4- to 4.5-second neighborhood and showed a 40-inch vertical leap.

Combined with his prodigious strength -- he did 38 repetitions in the standard 225-pound bench press -- he became a hot draft commodity this spring, and he'll be either the second or third tight end chosen Saturday.

Growing up the oldest of Kenneth and Diana Watson's six children, Benjamin always had plenty of competition around him. With three brothers and two sisters, there was always a race or a game on, and Watson recalled how much fun he had.

"Coming from that kind of family, there was always something going on," he said. "We always had somebody to play with, always had somebody to argue with, always had somebody to love."

Despite his many accomplishments, he can go on and on talking about his kin. One of his fondest memories was watching Jessica break the South Carolina high school record in the 800 at a state meet at Spring Valley High School in 2001.

"That was just invigorating for me," Watson said. "Track was always my favorite sport growing up, and to see her performing at such a high level is exciting. It just takes you back to the days we'd be running side-by-side."

Watson was an accomplished three-sport star at Northwestern, lettering in track and basketball as well.

Football came naturally, partly due to the strong hand of DNA he was dealt. His father was a linebacker at the University of Maryland in the 1970s, earning academic all-ACC honors.

"He was my motivation for starting to play," Watson said. "He used to pull out these old reels of film -- we still have the old projector and the films -- and show me his old games.

"After that, being around him as he spoke to teams, just being around the sport, I knew this was what I wanted to do."

And while football is about to become his profession, the younger Watson's quest for academic success sent his career on an unusual path. He began at Duke, choosing to play for the ACC doormats because of the school's academic prestige. Though he played a significant role as a freshman for the 3-8 Blue Devils, he grew disillusioned with the football program after playing at a big-time football school like Northwestern High.

"I realized I missed the winning aspect of football," Watson said. "You want that big-time college atmosphere, going out in front of the big crowds. Once you start playing, you realize how important winning is."

He's done plenty of that, winning 32 games the last three years with the Bulldogs, playing in the highest-profile football conference in the land.

And it's not as if he ignored his studies, finishing his degree in finance last May. When the NFL administered the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test to prospects at the combine in February, Watson scored an admirable 41, the highest score of all the tight ends.

Those smarts, along with his physical talent, have helped him turn himself into a future professional.

One of the things that attracts the pro scouts to Watson is his strength, the product of long hours in the weight room in Athens, Ga.

Bulldogs strength coach Dave Van Halanger gushes when talking about Watson, pausing and using the word "Wow," as punctuation at least a dozen times during a phone conversation.

"He's just in a class by himself," said Van Halanger, who worked at Florida State in the days the Seminoles were cranking out first-round picks annually. "I've been in this business a long time, been around a lot of guys, but I've never been around a guy like Ben Watson."

Even though he wasn't one of the biggest Bulldogs, Watson established himself as one of the strongest. He would squat over 600 pounds and bench-press 565.

Van Halanger recalls watching Watson work out with former Bulldogs fullback J.T. Wall, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"It was serious business," Van Halanger said. "Ben would always train with the strongest guys, and the guys who wanted to get better would work with him."

The physical gifts are just one component of Watson's transformation. He's worked to become a better receiver, and showed sure hands during his pro day workouts. He caught 65 passes for 852 yards and six touchdowns for Georgia. He was bothered by an ankle injury early last season, but raised his level of play late in the year. He was Georgia's leading receiver in the SEC Championship Game, with four receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.

He also put on a show at the Senior Bowl, proving to the NFL he belonged as a blocker as well as a pass-catcher.

Watson thought about leaving for the pros last year, but chose to finish his degree and try to improve his standing. While he'd have been a third- to fifth-round pick a year ago, he knows he won't have to wait as long to hear his name called Saturday.

He's visited Tampa Bay and Tennessee in recent weeks, and said he's not sure where he'll end up.

After working out in Georgia and February's combine in Indianapolis and this spring's travels, he's heading back home this week, so he can be in comfortable waiting for his phone to ring.

"We're just going to be there doing a lot of praying," Watson said of his draft-day plans. "Just like everything else, your family's going to be there for you, so that's where I'll be."

Contact Darin Gantt at [email protected]

The eldest of six children was always driven to compete


Ben Watson file


• Position: Tight end

• Height and weight: 6-3, 255

• College: University of Georgia

• Expected to be drafted in late first or early second round of NFL Draft next weekend

• Graduated, Northwestern High, Class of 1999

• Graduated, University of Georgia, May 2003, degree in finance

• Recorded highest score of any tight end in the draft on Wonderlic intelligence test (41 of 50)

 

So Watson has been wanting to come out of the closet since he was a little kid?

 

>>>"He caught 65 passes for 852 yards and six touchdowns for Georgia. He was bothered by an ankle injury early last season, but raised his level of play late in the year. He was Georgia's leading receiver in the SEC Championship Game, with four receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown"<<<


Those are nice numbers. A couple of days ago I posted that I suspected Watson was probably just another workout warrior . . . . GUH! I had no idea he was that productive on the field. I will send a formal "my bad" to Ben and his entire family AND anyone who is currently riding his jock. :anon:

Watson might be a Panther at #31 after all. He's definitely brainy enough . . . 41 on the Wonderlic must have Fox & Co. drooling. Just think of all the fancy blocking schemes he could memorize.

 

If we plan to start throwing to the tight end I would not mind getting Watson at 31. Otherwise we need a corner, free safety or wide out more.

 

Best available, unless it's DL or LB or QB.

But we should go for a WR, no matter what.

 

Agreed, BUT there is absolutely no telling what our guys will do. If Woods or Clayton (*maybe Evans) is somehow still there and we take someone else I hope they have a really clear logical and accurate reason for the guy they take. He better end up a pro bowler too because IMO the two above are taking some trips to Hawaii in the future.

Evans might be a more productive guy than Clayton and Woods with the rule change. He's got better shakes and might be able to get better separation. The bigger stronger guys lose a little of any advantage that they might have benefited from with the old rules.

 

I've liked Watson for a while and it kinda pissed me off he did so well at the combine since before that he could possibly have been had at #63. He runs better or at least as good as most of those WR's and is strong as an ox. And smart as heck and of good character (from reading this, great character). These DB's will have a hard time with him if they can't mug him, which the new rule interpretation implies. Picking him wouldn't make me the least bit unhappy. Especially considering our red zone inefficiency (or my perception of it as being inefficient).
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discuss vaporizers

 

This is very close to overhype. Shit this guy could play any position on the field. Let' make him another Vick

 

Sorry, I just think Watson is gonna make a great NFL player at a position we're weak at. I'll be happy if whoever we get stabalizes their position for us long term.
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mdx