Texas football product Ryan Watts hopes Shrine Bowl improves his NFL draft stock

FRISCO — When former Texas cornerback Ryan Watts steps onto the field for Thursday’s East-West Shrine Bowl, it won’t be his first time in The Star, the host stadium of the annual all-star game featuring prospective NFL players as well as the practice home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Watts played at The Star when he was a junior all-everything athlete at nearby Little Elm High School to face Frisco Independence. Watts doesn't remember much of his team's 30-24 loss aside from the pregame smoke that filled the tunnel leading to the field — and filled his lungs.

“Oh, man, it got to me,” Watts said on Tuesday. “I was light-headed the whole game.”

Watts hopes to clear up NFL projections

Watts, a senior this past season for Texas, bypassed one more year of eligibility to declare for the 2024 NFL draft. He hopes his showing at this week’s practices as well as in Thursday night's all-star game can clear up any fog regarding his draft position.

Various draft projections have Watts as a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent. After garnering some buzz early in the season with his strong play, he struggled along with the rest of the Texas secondary in the second half of the 2023 campaign. Playing through a slight hamstring tear he suffered against Kansas in the fifth game of the year didn’t help, he revealed after Tuesday’s practice for the West squad. Nor did the lingering back pain that plagued him in the season’s final month.

“I definitely feel a lot better now,” Watts said. “I was playing through all that the whole season, really. So, just trying to get back. Finally being completely healthy now, that’s been a goal.”

Watts has drawn the attention of the West coaches, including defensive backs coaches Matt Giordano of the New Orleans Saints and Cristian Garcia of the Washington Commanders. Unlike a lot of draft prospects who often drop an inch or two and 10-15 pounds off their listed collegiate weight when they come up against NFL measurements, Watts matched up almost exactly to his listed Texas size at an official 6 feet, 2.6 inches and 212 pounds.

“I’ve heard from the (NFL scouts) that I look a lot bigger in person,” Watts said.

But Watts’ potential at multiple positions could be even more appealing than his frame. He was seen as more of a safety than a cornerback coming out of Little Elm as a four-star prospect, and he crossed-trained some at safety in his first two seasons at Ohio State. But circumstances at both Ohio State and Texas led him to play cornerback, even though Watts says he's just as capable of playing safety at the next level.

“They (the NFL scouts) are asking me if I can play safety and corner, and if I'm willing to do that,” he said. “And I’m letting them know I can play either one and I will play either one. It just happened that both Ohio State and Texas had some good safeties, so I played at corner. But I feel that I can play safety. You have to be a smart athlete to play safety, and I think that’s what I am.”

Several other Longhorns sidelined with injuries

He’s also a gutsy athlete willing to take some risks to raise his draft profile. Most college players recovering from injuries incurred in the regular season sit out the pre-draft all-star games like the East-West Shrine Bowl or Saturday’s Senior Bowl. That group includes several Texas products such as tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders at the Shrine Bowl, linebacker Jaylan Ford at the Senior Bowl, receiver Jordan Whittington at the Senior Bowl and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II at the Senior Bowl.

But Watts was eager to strap the pads back on even if he’s not fully healthy, especially after Texas gave up 430 passing yards in the 37-31 loss to Washington in the Sugar Bowl.

“I didn't like the way we went out,” Watts said. “And I don't want that to be the last time I was on a football field, too. So to be able to come back out here again and showcase my skills, especially since I’m feeling a lot better, it’s been great.”

Several other Texas products are also involved in the two all-star games this week. Running back Jonathon Brooks remains sidelined after undergoing knee surgery for a torn ACL in November but is part of the East-West Shrine Bowl events while defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat and offensive tackle Christian Jones are both at the Senior Bowl practices.

East-West Shrine Bowl

7 p.m. Thursday, The Star in Frisco, NFL Network

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football product Ryan Watts prepping for NFL draft at Shrine Bowl