NFL Draft Profile: Jaylen Watson, Cornerback, Washington State University Cougars

NFL draft profile scouting report for Washington State Cornerback, Jaylen Watson

Author:
The NFL Draft Bible
Updated:
Mar 8, 2022 4:01 PM EST
Original:
Dec 31, 2021

In this story:

#0
Pos: CB
Ht: 6014
Wt: 197
Hand: 0958
Arm: 3228
Wing: 7658
40: 4.51
Bench: 18
DOB:
Eligibility: 2022
Augusta, GA
Lucy C. Laney High School

Jaylen Watson Washington State University Cougars

One Liner:

A Junior College transfer who displays the size, length, football intelligence you look for. A day 3 or priority UDFA prospect due to limited athleticism, technical, and tackling ability.

Pros:

Ideal size and length to play the cornerback position at the next level. Great fit in a cover 3 heavy scheme where he can match WR’s vertically. Excels on a vertical plane staying in phase on the routes and using his size and length to make it difficult for WR’s to stack him. Shows good ability to play versus bigger body WR’s that he can match athleticism and length with. Good awareness in zone and shows a good understanding of spacing and leverage. In cover 2 knows how to leverage a smash concept and plays under control. Overall good football intelligence and reads route indicators from Wr’s. He will see the raise in pad level and the slowing of pace and make breaks on the ball. Has some good reps in press when he gets hands on and disrupts route timings. Good transitions when breaking downhill on curls and comeback routes. Looks and locates the ball when being thrown at vertically and knows when to turn into and away from the WR.

Cons:

Limited athlete and lacks high level twitch and fluidity to mirror and match quicker WR’s. Gets caught over lunging and gets caught off balance in press too often and this makes it difficult for him to transition upfield. Needs work on overall technique staying square and footwork is poor. He puts himself in a good position to make a play on the ball but ball skills are adequate. Feet are stuck in mud when he has to make a read in off man coverage and the WR’s break horizontally. No help in run support and has very poor tackling technique

Summary:

Jaylen Watson projects to be a developmental cover 3 corner at the next level. He wins using his length and route anticipation. He is at his best in zone when he can leave his eyes in the backfield and use his knowledge of leverage and route concepts. Lacks high level athleticism, ball skills, and technique to be a quality player at the next level. Poor tackling and adequate athleticism make me believe he doesn’t have a future on special teams.

Background:

Jaylen Watson grew up in Augustus Georgia and played high school ball at Lucy C Laney High School. He was named all-region 4-AA offensive player of the year as a wide receiver and also played safety in high school. Attended Ventura college in California as a Freshman and sophomore and was named Junior College Bureau All American both years. His sophomore year he had 43 tackles, 13 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery. He signed a letter of intent in 2019 to sign with USC but ended up not enrolling and playing this season. In 2020, he played CB for Washington state where he was an honorable mention for all pac 12. In 2021, he played as a 5th year senior at Washington state finishing the season with 31 total tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 pass deflections.