Wisconsin Badgers in the NFL: J.J. Watt

Continuing on with our preview of Wisconsin Badgers in the NFL, we have the unstoppable J.J Watt of the Houston Texans.

Since he was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, there may not be a more accomplished player in the league than J.J. Watt.

Whether it’s been on the field where he has put together an amazing Hall of Fame level career, or off of it where he has represented the University of Wisconsin incredibly well and makes you proud that he is a Wisconsin Badgers’ alumni, Watt has done it all.

From 2012 to 2015, Watt was regarded by many as the best player in the NFL and for good reasons. During that stretch he was an absolute monster as he would total 69 sacks and a whopping 381 total pressures. To put it simply, he was unstoppable.

As a result, during that span he was named Defensive Player of the Year three separate times, along with being named the Bert Bell award winner in 2014 which is presented by the Maxwell Football Club to the Player of the Year in the NFL.

Watt is also a five-time All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowler, and won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2017 for his volunteer and charitable work off the football field.

Unfortunately, the injury bug would hit Watt and during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and he would play in just eight total games.

However, he was back to full strength last season and would pick up where he left off by wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks. Over the course of the full 16 game season, Watt would record 16 sacks and 78 total pressures according to Pro Football Focus.

What has made Watt so special over his career is that he may be one of the most complete pass rushers that the NFL has ever seen. His speed and athleticism allow him to bend around offensive lineman on the edge, while also having the brute strength to run right through them.

His overall technique and hand usage are second to none, and he brings versatility to the position that allows him to play up and down on the line of scrimmage and even drop into coverage when needed.

Looking ahead to 2019, barring any injury I think it is safe to say that we can expect more of the same from Watt as it doesn’t appear that he will be slowing down any time soon. Very few work as hard as Watt does and over his last five healthy seasons, he is averaging 17 sacks and nearly 92 total pressures per year. Just remarkable.

After making the playoffs three of the last four seasons, the Houston Texans are expecting to be back in 2019 and hoping to make a little more noise this time around. And as they have done since drafting him in 2011, they will look to their leader on defense – J.J. Watt – to be the catalyst that helps propel them to another successful season.