Cleveland Browns rookie linebacker Nathaniel Watson impressed his new team with his size and physical abilities.
Yet the 2023 SEC Defensive Player of the Year might have excited the Browns more with his ability to play through adversity.
On “The Dawgs” Podcast this week, Watson revealed that in two of his most impressive college games last season – back-to-back games with 21 tackles each – the linebacker played through pain to record those stats.
“I had a bum knee, so yeah, that’s the crazy part (that) don’t nobody know nothing about that,” Watson said.
Watson – who goes by “Bookie” – only missed one game throughout his college career for injury, telling the host he missed a contest during the 2021 season.
“Other than that, I played through every other injury I had,” Watson said.
The linebacker recorded those remarkable tackle amounts in November against Southern Mississippi and the school’s rival, the No. 9 ranked Ole Miss Rebels.
To put those figures in perspective, the most tackles any member of the Browns defense has secured is 19 stops back in 2005.
Watson admitted he also was unsure how he put together those back-to-back contests while injured, adding he credited a higher power for putting him in the right positions for the Bulldogs.
The 6-foot-2 linebacker earned the SEC’s highest defensive award last year as he recorded 137 tackles and 10 sacks, becoming the first player in SEC history to lead the conference in both categories in a single season.
Watson appeared in 57 games for Mississippi State for his Bulldog career, starting 39 of those contests.
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