FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When the Atlanta Falcons traded up in the third round to select safety Xavier Watts with the No. 96 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they had good reason to feel confident about the player they'd be getting.

"Watts is one of those guys that you've seen him make plays and do things at all three levels, which makes it a cleaner eval as opposed to some guys are box guys and we're sitting there in an interchangeable safety role, but you're really projecting how is he going to be in the post?" Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith explained after the draft. "… So, Xavier was a clean eval that way of seeing him do exactly what you envision him doing for us."

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Watts has begun to earn time wi

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