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Derek Watt

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Derek Watt
refer to caption
Watt with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020
No. 34, 44
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1992-11-07) November 7, 1992 (age 32)
Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school:Pewaukee
(Pewaukee, Wisconsin)
College:Wisconsin (2011–2015)
NFL draft:2016 / round: 6 / pick: 198
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:71
Rushing average:2.4
Rushing touchdowns:2
Receptions:18
Receiving yards:178
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Derek John Watt (born November 7, 1992) is an American former professional football fullback. He played college football at Wisconsin, and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His older brother is J. J. Watt, and his younger brother is Steelers linebacker T. J. Watt.[1][2]

Early life

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Watt was born the middle son of three boys to Connie, a building operations vice president, and John Watt, a firefighter. He has an older brother Justin ("J. J."), and younger brother Trent ("T. J.") who were born and raised in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.[3]

He attended and played high school football at Pewaukee High School.[4]

Watt attended University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was teammates with his brother T. J. from 2012 to 2015.

College career

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Watt played at the University of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2015.[5] He was part of the offense that helped running back Melvin Gordon amass record-breaking rushing yards during his Badger career.[6]

In the 2012 season, Watt had 12 receptions for 150 receiving yards.[7] In the 2013 season, he had three receptions for 20 receiving yards.[8] In the 2014 season, he only appeared in three games on the season.[9] In his final collegiate season in 2015, he had 15 receptions for 139 receiving yards.[10] Gordon and Watt went on to reunite as teammates when Watt was drafted by the Chargers in 2016.[11]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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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.[12]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m) 		235 lb
(107 kg) 		31 in
(0.79 m) 		10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 4.77 s 1.63 s 2.73 s 4.32 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		 19 reps
All values from Pro Day[13][14]

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers

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Watt was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round (198th overall) in the 2016 NFL draft.[15] In the 2019 season, Watt appeared in all 16 games and recorded a rushing touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.[16][17] He played for the Chargers from 2016 to 2019. He contributed as a running back, fullback, and in a special teams role.[18]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On March 26, 2020, Watt signed a three-year, $9.75 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Signing with the Steelers made Watt a teammate of his younger brother T. J., an outside linebacker.[19] In Week 2, against the Denver Broncos, Watt blocked a punt that resulted in a safety.[20] On December 21, 2020, he was knocked out as a gunner as he was concussed after being blocked into former Badgers teammate Alex Erickson on a punt return.[21] After spending the whole season mainly on a special teams role with zero yards on offense, Watt ran his first rushing plays with the Steelers in the Wild Card Round against the Cleveland Browns.[22][23]

In the 2021 season, Watt appeared in all 17 games and started four.[24]

During Week 8 of the 2022 season at the Philadelphia Eagles, Watt caught a one-yard touchdown on a throw from wide receiver Chase Claypool.[25] In the 2022 season, Watt appeared in all 17 games and started three. He continued to contribute as a fullback and on special teams.[26]

After not being signed to a team for the 2023 season, he announced his retirement from football via Instagram on March 12, 2024.[27]

Personal life

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Watt married Gabriella Justin in 2018.[28] The couple's first child, son Logan James Watt, was born in February 2019,[29] and their second son, Brayden George Watt, was born in December 2020.[30]

In 2020, Watt appeared in a Subway commercial with his brothers J. J. and T. J. along with their parents John and Connie.[31] Derek, J. J. and T. J. were also the hosts for the TV show Ultimate Tag.[32]

References

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  1. ^ Kaplan, Emily (October 12, 2016). "Wisconsin's Watt the Third". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  2. ^ Potrykus, Jeff (August 9, 2016). "T.J. Watt continues his climb with Badgers". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  3. ^ Haley, Andy (April 28, 2017). "How T.J. Watt Transitioned From Tight End to a Top NFL Linebacker Prospect". Stack.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  4. ^ Radcliffe, JR (September 10, 2017). "The Wattch: Checking in with Pewaukee brothers J.J., T.J. and Derek Watt during the 2017 NFL season". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Derek Watt College Stats". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "Melvin Gordon College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  7. ^ "Derek Watt 2012 Game Log". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "Derek Watt 2013 Game Log". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  9. ^ "Derek Watt 2014 Game Log". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  10. ^ "Derek Watt 2015 Game Log". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  11. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  12. ^ "2016 NFL draft live analysis of Day 3 picks". profootballfocus.com. April 30, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  13. ^ "Derek Watt Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". nfl.com. March 1, 2018. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  14. ^ "Derek Watt, Wisconsin, FB, 2016 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". DraftScout.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  15. ^ Williams, Eric D. (April 30, 2016). "Derek Watt pick by Bolts gets thumbs up from big brother J.J." ESPN. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "Derek Watt 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars - December 8th, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  18. ^ "Derek Watt Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  19. ^ Varley, Teresa (March 25, 2020). "Steelers sign fullback Derek Watt". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  20. ^ Rutter, Joe (September 25, 2020). "Steelers trying to carve out role for Derek Watt as big brother comes to town with Texans". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  21. ^ Williams, Charean (December 22, 2020). "Derek Watt being evaluated for a concussion after a scary tackle". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  22. ^ "Derek Watt 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  23. ^ "Wild Card - Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 10th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  24. ^ "Derek Watt 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  25. ^ Pryor, Brooke (October 30, 2022). "Steelers find end zone on Chase Claypool trick-play touchdown pass to Derek Watt". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  26. ^ "Derek Watt 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  27. ^ "Derek Watt retires from NFL after seven seasons". ESPN.com. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  28. ^ Watt, Gabriella (February 6, 2018). "Instagram Gabriella Watt birthday". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  29. ^ Watt, Gabriella (February 19, 2019). "Instagram Logan James Watt was born on February 17, 2019". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  30. ^ Watt, Derek (December 10, 2020). """In the blue corner, weighing in at a whopping 9lbs 9oz and stretching 21.5 inches long...out of Pittsburgh, PA...Brayden George Watt!" on 12/9/20 we were blessed with the newest addition to our family! Brayden and my wife Gabriella are both healthy and doing extremely well."". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  31. ^ Kuhagen, Christopher (March 5, 2020). "The entire Watt family stars in new Subway commercial, but we especially love Connie's performance". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  32. ^ Aquilina, Tyler (May 19, 2020). "The NFL's Watt brothers on why 'Ultimate Tag' is more sport than game show". EW.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
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