Steelers A to Z: Position flexibility could be on display for rookie DB Ryan Watts in training camp

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

DB Ryan Watts

Experience/age: Rookie sixth-round draft pick/22

Contract status: $840,861 if he makes team in 2024, signed through 2027

The past: A four-star recruit coming out of Texas in high school, Watts left his home state for a chance to play at Ohio State. After two seasons in which he played in 18 games with no starts, Watts decided to return home and transferred to Texas.

Watts spent his final two college seasons with the Longhorns, starting each year. He started 13 games as a junior and was named an honorable mention all-conference cornerback. As a senior, he started 10 times in 11 games while missing three because of a back injury. He had five tackles in Texas’ loss to Washington in the college football playoffs.

Watts ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the NFL Combine, and scouts projected his NFL future might be inside at safety rather than outside at cornerback. In his final year at Texas, Watts took snaps as a strong safety and slot corner, according to Pro Football Focus.

2024 outlook: In his pre-draft evaluation of Watts, NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein predicted a position switch might be in the 6-foot-3, 208-pound cornerback’s future. Wrote Zierlein:

“Based purely on the cornerback tape, it would be easy to dismiss Watts as an NFL prospect, but once we fit the pieces together and project him as a safety, it changes the evaluation. Watts simply doesn’t have the quickness and agility to stay at cornerback with much success in man coverage. However, he’s already built like a safety and possesses tremendous length with a willingness to lean into the aggression for the position change.”

The Steelers must have had the same mindset because once offseason workouts began for rookies, Watts started taking snaps at safety. Watts was drafted to provide depth in a secondary that was beset by injuries last season.

Earning a spot on the 53-man roster depends on how quickly Watts can learn the defense in training camp and the preseason. He also needs to be a contributor on special teams.