At 464 pounds, Florida DT Desmond Watson sees weight loss as path to NFL

Editor’s word: This piece was initially revealed on April 14. After he went undrafted, Watson signed together with his hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent.

TAMPA, Fla. — Desmond Watson is aware of the place he desires to go, and one of many keys to getting there may be not stopping alongside the way in which.

Watson, a defensive lineman from Florida, is exclusive amongst NFL Draft prospects if not folks normally, checking in at a large 6-foot-6 and 464 kilos at his professional day in Gainesville final week. That’s not a typo, and although he has proven exceptional athleticism for a participant his measurement, he understands that to have a viable future within the NFL, he should shed weight.

And amongst different issues, which means staying in his automobile, wherever he is going.

“Stopping whereas driving,” Watson mentioned when requested about unhealthy habits he is tried to shed. “My greatest factor is maintain going, get to the place I have to get. There are shops and loads of temptations. That is helped me immensely: Do not go contained in the gasoline station. Pay on the pump. As a result of inside, it is snacks and all sorts of issues like that. Do not pull over. For those who’re on the freeway, keep on the freeway till you get the place you have to go.”

Watson’s professional day weigh-in made him a viral sensation for the fallacious causes — 464 kilos is 20 p.c heavier than the listed weight for the largest participant within the NFL final yr, Ravens deal with Daniel Faalele, at 6-foot-8 and 380 kilos. There aren’t any official information, however the heaviest participant in league historical past is commonly mentioned to be former Bears deal with Aaron Gibson, who was listed at 410 kilos on the peak of a taking part in profession that went from 1999-2004.

So Watson’s focus, much more so than it has been in 4 years of faculty soccer, is to vary his weight loss plan and coaching habits to get in higher form, figuring out that is a path to not solely his greatest probability on the NFL, however for a wholesome life total.

“It has been like my similar drawback — not drawback, however my similar concern all through school,” Watson mentioned of his need to drop weight. “I am getting extra in depth, getting a greater grasp of the issues I have to do to achieve success on the subsequent stage. It has been attention-grabbing. I’ve realized quite a bit about myself on this course of.”

He is consuming higher, snacking on peanuts and almonds. Breakfasts that was grits and pancakes loaded with syrup are actually omelets with spinach and tomatoes. He is paying on the pump, like he says, hoping each pound he sheds will give NFL groups confidence to spend money on his future.

Watson, who’s from Plant Metropolis, simply east of Tampa, went to the Bucs‘ native professional day final week, his first actual expertise with NFL coaches and trainers. Bucs defensive linemen Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey watched as he went via particular person exercises. Vea, listed at 347 kilos, is a prototype for athleticism in an enormous physique, and he and Dexter Lawrence are the 2 NFL gamers Watson watches probably the most to see how measurement can transfer shortly in soccer.

“I let [Vea] know he was an inspiration of mine, somebody I attempt to mannequin my sport after,” Watson mentioned.

Watson has proven flashes of his athleticism. In a 2022 win over South Carolina, he ripped the ball unfastened from an opposing working again and took off working, introduced down by present Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler. Again in Tampa for his closing school sport when the Gators confronted Tulane of their bowl sport in December, Watson had the group on its ft when he earned a cameo within the offensive backfield as a jumbo fullback and obtained a keep it up third-and-1, rumbling for a primary down. Gators coach Billy Napier known as him “a unicorn,” the form of participant you would possibly see as soon as in a whole teaching profession.

And whereas his weight obtained the headlines at his professional day final week, he put up different spectacular numbers as nicely. He recorded a vertical leap of 25 inches — higher than some defensive tackles on this draft class who weigh 150 kilos much less. Within the bench press, he had 36 reps at 225 kilos, which is three extra reps than any of 300-plus individuals on the NFL Mix exercises.

“He has athletic potential I can not even clarify,” mentioned Evan Davis, his head coach at Armwood Excessive in Seffner, Florida. “The factor that obtained me, we had been doing overhead squats, and he is holding the bar at 185 kilos over his head, and he can squat down and his butt touches the bottom and he goes again up and doing reps. I am like ‘Bro, you are an enormous human being. You should not have that a lot bend and athletic potential.’ However he does.”

There is a massive coronary heart in there as nicely. He wore No. 21 at Florida as a result of it was the quantity worn by his youthful brother, Dyson, who suffered a stroke at age 5. He is from a household of athletes: His mom was a sprinter, an older brother, Darrian McNeal, performed receiver at Oregon (at 5-foot-9, 163 kilos) and a youthful sister is a volleyball center blocker at Pasco-Hernando State Faculty. He had each mother and father and eight siblings in attendance for his closing school sport in Tampa.

Wanting, even needing, to shed weight just isn’t something new for Watson. When he signed with the Gators in 2021, then-coach Dan Mullen joked that he was grateful they’d tools to measure his weight at 440 kilos, saying, “He is gotta lose, you understand, most likely a few 12- or 13-year-old proper now.”

That battle is ongoing. He does not put any blame on the Gators, saying they tried to offer him many retailers and alternatives to get in higher form, and he did not do a very good job of taking benefit, staying centered and bringing about actual change.

There’s an opportunity an NFL crew may take a shot on Watson with a late-round draft decide, but when not, he is in good place to land on a 90-man roster as an undrafted free agent. That may give him 4 months to work with NFL trainers and nutritionists, to enhance his physique whereas studying on the sphere. A developmental spot on a follow squad can be a tiny funding for NFL crew — a full yr there pays $234,000 — and he is solely 22, so a yr from now, he’d nonetheless be youthful than many draft picks this yr.

Watson mentioned he is tried to deal with his consuming like an dependancy, to take it significantly, to not take days off, to concentrate on a greater life.

“It is positively arduous,” he mentioned. “Individuals have taught me to take a look at it like one other dependancy. It is not medicine, but it surely’s addicting, whether or not that is gaming, medicine, alcohol. I believe that is my vice. I am simply making an attempt to come up with it. Identical to medicine can kill you, this may do the identical factor. I am making an attempt to vary my life.”

He is making adjustments in what he eats, in avoiding unhealthy selections, however he mentioned the largest distinction is in his thoughts.

“I believe it is extra of a psychological factor, coaching to eat higher, to make higher habits for myself to maintain life and soccer,” he mentioned. “It is opened my eyes to see I can fulfill myself with higher issues, to not have a detrimental impact on me.”

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand spent a decade overlaying the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Instances and The Athletic. You possibly can observe him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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