The Cleveland Browns were hardest hit at the linebacker position this offseason with multiple defections hurting the position’s depth.
In addition to adding Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks via free agency, the Browns used one of their six picks to secure a linebacker on the final day of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“The Dawgs” Podcast shared a clip to Twitter with the host calling the sixth-round selection of Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson his “favorite pick for the place we got the guy.”
The #Browns got a certified DAWG with LB Nathaniel Watson from Mississippi State.
6'2" 233 pounds, 23 yo (Round 6 • Pick 206)
2023:
– 12 games, 137 tackles (led SEC), 13 TFL, 10 sacks
– 1 INT, 2 PBU, 2 FF
– Butkus Award Finalist
– 3rd-Team All-American
– 1st-Team All-SEC
– SEC… pic.twitter.com/m0HvBH77Wg— The Dawgs – A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) April 29, 2024
Watson was the No. 206 overall pick, an incredible value for a player who was selected as the AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
He was also a Butkus Award finalist as the nation’s top collegiate linebacker last season.
The analyst also noted Watson’s high pre-draft rankings as reasons why he is excited to watch Watson on the field.
He also predicted that the linebacker would be the eventual starter for the Browns, suggesting that he could replace either Hicks or Bush by next season.
Watson led the SEC in 2023 with 137 tackles, adding 10 sacks to lead the Bulldogs in that category also.
The 23-year-old draft pick started in 39 of his career 57 games at Mississippi State, recording over 80 tackles each of the last three seasons.
Watson was one of four defensive players taken in Cleveland’s 2024 NFL Draft class, joining defensive tackles Michael Hall Jr. and Jowon Briggs and cornerback Myles Harden as athletes who heard their names announced over the three-day draft process.
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