Derek Watt

Derek John Watt (born November 7, 1992) is an American football fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin, and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. His older brother is J. J. Watt of the Houston Texans and his younger brother is Steelers teammate T. J. Watt.[1][2]

Derek Watt
No. 44 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1992-11-07) November 7, 1992
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Pewaukee
(Pewaukee, Wisconsin)
College:Wisconsin
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 6 / Pick: 198
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • USA Today High School All-American (2010)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2019
Rushing attempts:17
Rushing yards:45
Receptions:10
Receiving yards:152
Total touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Watt attended and played high school football at Pewaukee High School.[3]

College career

Watt played for the University of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2015.[4] He was part of the offense that helped running back Melvin Gordon amass record-breaking rushing yards during his Badger career.[5] In the 2012 season, he had 12 receptions for 150 receiving yards.[6] In the 2013 season, he had three receptions for 20 receiving yards.[7] In the 2014 season, he only appeared in three games on the season.[8] In his final collegiate season in 2015, he had 15 receptions for 139 receiving yards.[9] Gordon and Watt went on to reunite as teammates when Watt was drafted by the Chargers in 2016.[10]

Professional career

Pro Football Focus rated Watt the second best fullback in the 2016 draft overall, and he also received the second best blocking grade among fullbacks in the draft.[11]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 235 lb
(107 kg)		 4.75 s 1.63 s 2.73 s 4.29 s 33 1⁄2 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		 19 reps
All values from NFL Draft[12][13]

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

Watt was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round (198 overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft.[14] He made his NFL debut in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.[15] Two weeks later, against the Indianapolis Colts, he had his first professional reception, which went for six yards.[16] On October 30, against the Denver Broncos, he had a 53-yard reception.[17] Overall, in his rookie season, he played in all 16 games and had four receptions for 83 receiving yards.[18] In the 2017 season, he appeared in all 16 games and had six carries for 24 rushing yards to go along with two receptions for 35 receiving yards.[19] In the 2018 season, he appeared in all 16 games and had four carries for 11 rushing yards to go along with one reception for two yards.[20] In the 2019 season, Watt appeared in all 16 games, started two, and recorded a rushing touchdown to go along with three receptions for 32 receiving yards.[21]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On March 26, 2020, Watt signed a three-year, $9.75 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, reuniting with his brother T. J..[22]

References
  1. Kaplan, Emily (October 12, 2016). "Wisconsin's Watt the Third". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  2. Potrykus, Jeff (August 9, 2016). "T.J. Watt continues his climb with Badgers". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  3. Radcliffe, JR. "The Wattch: Checking in with Pewaukee brothers J.J., T.J. and Derek Watt during the 2017 NFL season". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  4. "Derek Watt College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  5. "Melvin Gordon: NCAA Statistics & Awards". Sports Reference. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  6. "Derek Watt 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  7. "Derek Watt 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  8. "Derek Watt 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  9. "Derek Watt 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  10. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  11. "2016 NFL draft live analysis of Day 3 picks". profootballfocus.com. April 30, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  12. "NFL Draft Prospect Profile - Derek Watt". nfl.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  13. "Wisconsin FB Derek Watt : 2016 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  14. Williams, Eric D. (April 30, 2016). "Derek Watt pick by Bolts gets thumbs up from big brother J.J." ESPN. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  15. "San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs - September 11th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  16. "San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts - September 25th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  17. "San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos - October 30th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  18. "Derek Watt 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  19. "Derek Watt 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  20. "Derek Watt 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  21. "Derek Watt 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  22. Varley, Teresa (March 25, 2020). "Steelers sign fullback Derek Watt". Steelers.com.
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