Esmond Watson is pro football’s next huge thing: a 6ft 6in, 464lb defensive tackle who is poised to become the heaviest player ever selected at the NFL draft, which takes place later this month. “He’s a unicorn,” said his Florida coach Billy Napier last month. “You’ll go the rest of your career, and you’ll never be around a guy that’s that stature.
A native of Plant City, Florida, the state’s strawberry capital, Watson was the Gators’ big man on campus, a larger-than-life folk hero to match the school’s 7ft 9in basketball prospect. When Watson arrived at college, he already weighed 440lb – or about as much as a standup piano. When Watson made the team’s starting lineup the following year, he became a legend. Watson split a double team and ripped the ball away from his opponent in a hit similar to Jadeveon Clowney’s helmet-popping hit against Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl, which left 89,000 fans gasping during a 2022 game against South Carolina. (It’s a wonder Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler, who is 6 feet 1 inches tall and weighs 218 pounds, was able to tackle Watson to the ground afterward.) The Gators gave Watson the ball in Watson’s final college game, the Gasperilla Bowl, to gain a first down late in the game. “I can do it all,” he said afterward.
At Florida’s pro day, Watson showed NFL scouts the full range of that versatility and the extent to which it bends the rules of physics. In addition to out-benchpressing every other draft prospect, Watson ran the 40-yard dash with a time of 5.93 seconds and a vertical of 25 inches, which are low scores for most NFL hopefuls but impressive for someone his size. Analysts were more excited than ever about Watson’s pro prospects as a result of the performance, which won over Watson fans all over the country. Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, a former Cincinnati Bengals receiver, told Watson that he would “look good in stripes.” However, any team that is praising the Gators bulldozer will also have to think about how he would fit in the locker room. At Florida, he wore a size 6XL jersey along with custom-made pads and cleats. Watson’s number, which was 21 and is typically reserved for skill position players, was the only minor detail. (He picked it to honor his younger brother, Dyson, who wore the number before suffering a life-altering stroke.)
However, Watson’s admirers are most excited by his potential to be just the immovable object required to resist the unstoppable force of the NFL, the tush push. After a season that saw the Philadelphia Eagles call the “brotherly shove” time and again as they won the Super Bowl, the league is considering banning the play – a quarterback sneak with a teammate or two providing a boost. People who don’t like the tush push say the play gives teams with offensive linemen of jumbo size too much advantage. However, it’s possible that teams need to stock up on larger defensive linemen as a countermeasure until the play is officially banned. Watson’s potential to have an impact on the players who follow him is what makes him so intriguing. In the 1980s, 330lb rookie William ‘Refrigerator’ Perry was the one dazzling crowds with his strength and speed on both defense and offense during the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX run. In the 1990s, Nate Newton (nicknamed the Kitchen because he was 5lb heavier than Perry) went from USFL castoff to the linchpin offensive lineman of the Dallas Cowboys’ championship dynasty. In the noughties, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Orlando Brown was such a sight to behold at 6ft 7in and 360lb that people called him Zeus.
However, linemen Brown’s size is now commonplace in the game, with do-it-all big men like Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions setting the standard. With his even larger frame, Watson has a chance to break the NFL mold once more. Onlookers gushed about how he makes Bears legend Perry look like “a mini fridge” just by seeing him clash with players of average size (for football). The idea that he could usher in a new era of 400lb pound linemen is intriguing. “People see that number and think My 600-pound Life,” Watson’s high school coach, Evan Davis, told the Gainesville Sun in 2021.
But at Watson’s weight, is it even possible to play a punishing game for long? Football already takes a brutal physical toll on players. A greater risk of injury, increased joint strain, and larger collisions are all associated with larger bodies. Watson has struggled to maintain his weight, and his weigh-in at the Florida pro day was his heaviest to date, even though he never missed a game while attending college. People who were watching Watson’s workout were quick to point out that he was having trouble with certain agility drills, which might indicate that he didn’t have enough stamina. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe reckons Watson could be a reliable playmaker at 420lb – but Watson was reluctant to put any limits on himself. “I played against Tennessee, which was the fastest offense in the nation, all four years [of college],” he told Sharpe. Therefore, weight is not a concern of mine. But I know the lighter I get, the more I can dominate because that’s the goal.” He added that he is working with a nutritionist to address his diet.
Believe it or not, Watson was the smallest at birth among his six siblings – a little over 8lb. But it was only a matter of time before he filled it out. That’s perhaps no surprise: his father is 6ft 4in and 300lb. His mother, a former basketball star, weighs 250 pounds. She attributes her weight to having six children and not being active during Covid lockdowns. That said, not everyone in his family is big. “I come from a family of receivers and running backs, track athletes,” Watson said. I believe I was just meant to play in the interior. My older brother is 5ft 9in, 165lb.” Watson is referring to Darrian McNeal, a former University of Oregon slot receiver.
At the moment, he projects as a late-round selection or a priority free-agent signee – but it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see Eagles GM Howie Roseman, who built the sport’s tallest and heaviest offensive line, snap up Watson to preserve the team’s tush-push monopoly. The NFL’s largest-ever Mr. Irrelevant could also be Watson, who would be selected with the very last pick in the draft. But historic size doesn’t guarantee a long NFL career. Aaron Gibson, who was 410lb when the Lions made him the heaviest player ever drafted, in 1999, played five seasons and missed time every year but one because of nagging injuries.
Watson ought to have the chance to show his worth. Whether it’s a right-sized opportunity will be up to him. “I don’t care who it is,” Watson said of the teams that might draft him. “If anybody’s trying to put me in a jersey, I’m ready for it.” The reward may outweigh the risk in a 6XL or smaller product.
