Falcons Rookie Xavier Watts Picks Up Early Career Milestone in Win

The Atlanta Falcons rookie safety had a first of his career to help stiffle the Vikings offense

Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts picks up an early career highlight reel moment | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons selected Xavier Watts out of Notre Dame 96th overall in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Watts nearly came down with his first interception in his first career start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but came up just a hair short. 

In his second professional game, under the brightest of lights. Watts got his first career interception on Sunday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings, a pick that essentially iced a 22-6 victory.

Welcome to the NFL, @xavierwatts6!

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— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 15, 2025

The interception came late in the fourth quarter, with 2:35 left in the game. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy took a snap from Atlanta’s 36-yard line. The quarterback, who was playing in his second professional start, threw a ball to no one, and Watts came down with it on the three-yard line. 

In Week 1, Watts became the first Falcons rookie with five or more tackles and two or more pass breakups in his debut game since 1994. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said he saw Watts as a player who would never be satisfied and would always strive to improve in the next game. 

“You saw the exceptional ball skills, instinct, feel that he has,” Ulbrich said. “Now we just got to refine it and just keep working with him, and the beauty of [Xavier] is he doesn’t, and I’m getting to know him as we go here, but he feels like a guy that will never be satisfied, is just going to keep pushing to get better. That’s dangerous.”

Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded Watts at 81.5, the highest for a player on the Falcons' defense. Watts managed to top that in Week 2, not satisfied with just being the highest graded player on the Falcons' defense, but the rookie also had to grab a game-winning interception in a loud environment. Watts waved goodbye to the crowd as the Falcons won the game. 

Watts said during the offseason that he would love to be able to start alongside star safety Jessie Bates and “compete” with him for interceptions. Watts is currently winning the competition, hauling in an interception in 2025 before the veteran Bates. 

Ulbrich praised Watts' demeanor in Thursday’s press conference, saying that he never sees the rookie “flinch or blink”, that his demeanor and approach are exceptional for that of a first-year player. Bates echoes that sentiment.

“As a safety, you got to be poised. You got to be calm. You got to be able to communicate when things get crazy. And I never see him [Watts] panic or anything like that,” Bates said earlier in the offseason.

Watts certainly looked calm and collected on the field as he hauled in his first interception.