Atlanta Falcons Safety Top-Five Among Pro Bowl Vote-Getters So Far

The Atlanta Falcons rookie safety has built a case that he should be in the Pro Bowl, and many voters are with that notion

Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts is getting some recognition in the form of votes | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Atlanta Falcons safety Xavier Watts is currently top five in the NFL in Pro Bowl vote getters amongst all free safeties in the league. Only four safeties, Kevin Byard (Bears), Calen Bullock (Texans), Kerby Joseph (Lions) and Evan Williams (Packers) have received more Pro Bowl votes than Watts.

Micah Parsons has the third-most votes of any player in the NFL after the first installment of Pro Bowl fan voting.

Here’s the top 10 at each position⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1HSmPJ5ekg

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 1, 2025

On the season, the rookie has amassed 66 total tackles (41 solo, 25 assisted), three interceptions (tied eighth in the NFL) and seven passes defended. He earned Rookie of the Month for his play in September. His 21 total targets are tied for the 11th least amongst all safeties and his 16 receptions surrendered are tied for the 18th least. 

"Xavier [Watts] is an impact player because he takes the ball away," Falcons area scout Ryan Doyal said in an exclusive interview with AtlantaFalcons.com. “You want to talk about making an impact? Turnovers make an impact.”

Watts’ knack for creating turnovers is more than just talk, as he currently leads not only the Falcons in interceptions, but also all rookie safeties this season. He also leads his class in passes defended. His impact on the defense is undeniable, and reflected in the Pro Bowl votes he is receiving. 

The Falcons were absolutely enamored by Watts pre-draft, raving over both his intangibles as well as his ball skills.

"You see the speed. You see the movement. You see the size. You see all of that and you combine that with his ball production? Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg said. “What more do you want?”

For Watts to be this good this fast in the NFL is truly scary for opposing offenses, namely quarterbacks. The scariest part? Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich believes that the rookie safety is just getting started.

“You saw the just 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 X 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.”

Watts’ rookie season has already made waves, proving he’s a game-changing presence (as predicted by Atlanta’s staff) in the Falcons’ secondary. With Pro Bowl votes, top-tier stats and glowing praise from his coaches, he’s shown an ability to immediately impact games. And with his relentless drive to improve, as spoken about by Ulbrich himself, the NFL may only be seeing the beginning of what Xavier Watts can do.

He was drafted 96th overall in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Watts was a part of Atlanta’s deal to trade back into the first round and select James Pearce Jr.