Duece Watts

Duece Watts
No. 89 – BC Lions
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1999-12-23) December 23, 1999 (age 25)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:Petal
(Petal, Mississippi)
College:
Undrafted:2023
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
CFL status:American
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Natorian "Duece" Watts (born December 23, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Jones College and Tulane.

Early life

Watts was born in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Richton, Mississippi at the age of four.[1] He initially attended Richton High School, where he played football with his twin brother Nataurean “Phat” Watts.[2] After their sophomore year, Watts and his brother transferred to Petal High School where he played with future Tulane teammate Stephon Huderson.[1][2][3] Over his high school career, Watts played in 47 games and amassed 55 yards on 9 carries, 2,346 and 28 touchdowns on 119 receptions, 72 total tackles, and 1 interception.[4]

College career

Jones College

Watts was rated as a 2-star recruit leaving high school.[5] After graduating, Watts began his collegiate career at Jones County Junior College.[6] At Jones, he played with Tulane linebacker Nick Anderson.[3] He played for a total of 22 games across the 2018 and 2019 seasons.[7][8][9] Throughout his time at Jones he amassed 1 rush for 13 yards, 47 receptions for 702 yards and 5 touchdowns, 7 kick returns for 196 yards, and 1 tackle.[7][8]

Tulane

Watts committed to play at Tulane for the 2020 season on June 7, 2019.[10] During the 2020 season, Watts made an immediate impact, as he started all 12 games. He led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and average yards per catch.[3] The next season, Watts contributed 331 yards and 3 touchdown on 21 receptions.[3] During his senior season, Watts had 33 receptions for 657 yards and 8 touchdown.[11] Watts then caught 2 passes for 83 yards to help the Green Wave to a Cotton Bowl victory over reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans.[12][13]

College statistics

Season GP Receiving Rushing Returning Tackles
Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Solo Ast Tot
Jones College Bobcats
2018 12 23 286 12.4 59 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
2019 10 24 416 17.3 55 2 1 13 13 13 0 7 209 29.9 43 0 0 0 0
Tulane Green Wave
2020 12 31 512 16.5 52 6 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 12 21 331 15.8 47 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 13 29 564 19.4 73 7 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
NJCAA career 22 47 702 14.9 59 5 1 13 13 13 0 7 209 29.9 43 0 1 0 1
FBS career 37 81 1407 17.4 73 16 2 3 1.5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Career 59 128 2109 16.5 73 21 3 16 5.3 13 0 7 209 29.9 43 0 2 0 2

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄4 in
(1.86 m) 		196 lb
(89 kg) 		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m) 		10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		 4.59 s 1.47 s 2.65 s 4.41 s 7.27 s 37.5 in
(0.95 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)		 17 reps
All values from Pro Day[14]

Green Bay Packers

After going undrafted at the 2023 NFL draft, Watts was signed by the Green Bay Packers on May 1, 2023.[15][16][17] He was waived on August 29, 2023.[18]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Watts was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad on September 20, 2023.[19] On January 17, 2024, he signed a reserve/futures contract with the Steelers.[20] He was waived on August 27, 2024.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b Kemp, Jacob. "Brothers & teammates: Watts twins find success at Petal". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Petro, Camal (September 12, 2017). "Watts Finds Home at Running Back". The Pine Belt News. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Duece Watts – Football". Tulane University Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Natorian Watts' (Richton, MS) High School Football Stats". maxpreps.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  5. ^ "Natorian Watts, Petal , Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Curet, Taylor (August 16, 2019). "The Watts brothers – a dynamic duo for Jones College". Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Duece Watts Stats". The Football Database. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Natorian Watts – 2019 – Football". Jones College Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  9. ^ "Three former Bobcats will get their shot in National Football League". Jones College Athletics. April 29, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "Natorian Watts – Football Recruiting – Player Profiles – ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "Duece Watts Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  12. ^ Edmonds, Charlotte (January 2, 2023). "Tulane Stuns USC With Dramatic Comeback Win in Cotton Bowl". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "Tulane Rolls to Epic Win Over USC in 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic". Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  14. ^ "Duece Watts – WR – Tulane – 2023 Draft Scout/NCAA College Football". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  15. ^ "Packers agree to terms with 12 rookie free agents". packers.com. May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  16. ^ Boynton, Eric (May 1, 2023). "Packers sign 12 undrafted free agents". WBAY. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  17. ^ "Matt LaFleur says Packers could add veteran, but is comfortable letting young WR corps compete for now". NFL.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  18. ^ "Packers announce roster moves". Packers.com. August 29, 2023.
  19. ^ Varley, Teresa (September 20, 2023). "Steelers make additional roster moves". Steelers.com.
  20. ^ Varley, Teresa (January 17, 2024). "Steelers sign 17 to Reserve/Future contracts". Steelers.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  21. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 27, 2024). "Steelers trim 2024 roster to 53 players". Steelers.com.