GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 12: Spencer Rattler #7 of the South Carolina Gamecocks is stiff … More
William Perry is remembered fondly both for his size and his nickname, “Refrigerator.” It was given to him by a teammate at Clemson, and celebrated across America when Mike Ditka turned to him for a rushing touchdown in Super Bowl XX.
The Fridge was listed officially at 6-2, 335 pounds. Those were super-sized dimensions for football in 1985 but dozens of linemen that size will be selected in the NFL draft this weekend.
Tampa Bay’s Vita Vea, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle, is 6-4, 347, and he’s regularly not the biggest man on the field. Cleveland drafted offensive tackle Dawand Jones in the fourth round of the 2023 draft partly because he was 6-8, 374 pounds, and he’s started 17 games his first two seasons.
This is to say it was anything but a pipe dream that took 464-pound defensive tackle Desmond Watson to two pro days the last month, the first held by the University of Florida, his school, and the second in Tampa.
Watson never missed a game in four years at Florida, where he was listed at 449 pounds, but wasn’t a Southeastern Conference standout. He did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine — if he had, you would have heard about him — so he’s been busy trying to show he is far more athletic than he might look on his game tape.
There’s a chance he will be selected at some point shortly before closing time on Saturday, which would make him by far the heaviest player ever drafted. But if the seventh round goes by without his name called, he’s almost certain to receive multiple offers from teams who want to see what their strength and conditioning staff — as well as the team nutritionists — can do with him between now and September.
Watson’s mother was a sprinter, his sister a college volleyball player and an older brother played wide receiver for the University of Oregon at 5-9, 163 pounds. He readily admits he has been his own worst enemy as a binge eater.
“I think this is my vice,” Watson told FOX Sports’ Greg Auman at the Tampa showcase. “I’m just trying to get a hold of it. Just like drugs can kill you, this can do the same thing. I’m trying to change my life.”
The 6-6 Watson was a force of nature for Armwood High School in his hometown of Plant City, Fla. He chose Florida over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Florida State but experienced a parade of coaches and regime changes in his four seasons in Gainesville.
Gators coach Billy Napier calls Watson “a unicorn.” Scouts seem to feel he didn’t develop as much in college as he can with a committed NFL franchise in his corner, and it seems his high school coach, Evan Davis, would agree.
“He has athletic ability I can’t even explain,” Davis told Auman. “The thing that got me, we were doing overhead squats, and he’s holding the bar at 185 pounds over his head, and he can squat down and his butt touches the ground and he goes back up and (is) doing reps. I’m like ‘Bro, you’re a huge human being. You shouldn’t have that much bend and athletic ability.’ But he does.”
At the Tampa pro day, where Vea and other Buccaneers players were watching, Watson ripped off 36 reps pressing 225 pounds. Nobody at the Combine did more than 32. He probably didn’t help himself running the 40-yard dash in 5.93 seconds but he turned in a 25-inch vertical leap, which was better than some Combine linemen weighing 150 pounds less.
Draft analysts and NFL reporters are split about whether Watson has a realistic shot to be a late pick. Adam Schefter played it safe, writing for ESPN he “could” be picked. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler does not seem as open-minded, as he listed him 53rd among defensive tackles in his extensive draft preview.
But Pro Football Focus praises Watson’s ability to be a run-stuffer. It graded him 119th of 895 collegiate defensive interior players in 2024, and lots of players with lesser grades will be picked. He’s listed 32nd among defensive tackles in this draft class.
“While (Watson) doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher, his sheer mass helped him earn an 80.1 run-defense grade,’’ PFF wrote in his scouting report for Big Board 2025. “If he’s in good enough shape, his rare size alone could earn him a roster spot.”
There’s never been an NFL player weighing more than 410. That distinction belongs to offensive lineman Aaron Gibson, who was listed at 375 when Detroit took him in the first round of the 1999 draft but added another 35 before ending his career with the Bears in 2004.
Watson might take the NFL into uncharted territory. Selfishly, wouldn’t you love to see if he can stop the tush push?
