Falcons’ Rookie Defensive Back Challenging Super Bowl Champion For Starting Spot

The Atlanta Falcons brought in a draft class even Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles would be proud of. After double dipping on edge rushers in the first round, the Dirty Birds double dipped on safeties in the third and fourth to bring more ball hawks to a defense that struggled mightily last season. Of the two defensive backs, it is Xavier Watts out of Notre Dame that is now pressing the veterans on roster for a starting spot in year one.

“Jessie Bates III has one spot locked down, but the other is a competition between veteran Jordan Fuller and rookie Xavier Watts,” ESPN’s Marc Raimondi adds. “DeMarcco Hellams, who missed all of last season (ankle), has been playing well in practice, too.”

No shade to DeMarcco, but this battle is between the former Super Bowl Champion, and the third best safety in the draft class. Watts is an instinctive ball hawk, who uses his offensive background (more on that later) to disrupt plays before they begin. Fuller, conversely, is very similar in that way. When healthy, Fuller has been a firecracker since entering the league in 2020. His problem is staying on the field.

“Fuller and Watts have been alternating with the first-team defense alongside Bates,” Raimondi concludes. “Fuller was with Falcons coach Raheem Morris on the Rams’ Super Bowl team, while Watts was a third-round pick who many thought would be drafted higher. Atlanta expects its rookies to get a lot of playing time this year, and that includes Watts.”

Making The Case For Jordan Fuller

So far Jordan Fuller cannot buy a break in his NFL career. He came in the league as a sixth round pick, but by the end of his first training camp, Fuller was a starter. He suffered a minor injury his rookie season, but bounced back by recording more than 100 tackles his sophomore year. However, an ankle injury kept the young back from playing in the Super Bowl that his team won over Jessie Bates’ Cincinnati Bengals.

The next season Fuller only played in three games, missing a majority of the season with a hamstring injury. But in the final year of his rookie deal two seasons ago, he was once again at full strength recording nearly 100 tackles and pulling down three interceptions.

He was not resigned by the Los Angeles Rams, and instead played just nine games for the Carolina Panthers.

Now teamed back up with former coach Raheem Morris, Fuller has proved he can get it done at a high level in this league. He also has an established repertoire with the head coach that Morris felt strongly enough about to hand a ‘prove it’ deal to the vet.

Xavier Watts Can Start

Xavier Watts was a steal late in the third round. Watts had THIRTEEN interceptions over his last two seasons of college football. His ability to play center field allowed the Notre Dame defense to stack the box and he was a big reason that defense finished as a top five unit in the NCAA.

He was recruited to ND as a wide receiver. For this reason, his route recognition is off the charts. He is very similar to the other two safeties “ahead” of him, which means that should anything happen, Watts should be able to slide into the rotation seamlessly.

He can play high, he can play low. Had he been drafted to a handful of other teams, there would be no competition. Watts came out of college with day one starter written all over him, so it is no surprise that he is challenging a player as talented as Jordan Fuller this early.

“The team that drafts Watts isn’t just getting a safety – they’re getting a defensive weapon who can be deployed at multiple levels of the defense. His skill set particularly fits with teams running quarters-based coverage schemes that allow him to read and react while keeping everything in front of him. Don’t be surprised to see him make an immediate impact similar to how Antoine Winfield Jr. burst onto the scene,” wrote K.C. Martinez on NFLDraftBuzz.com.