Dekoda Watson
 Watson in the 2012 NFL season. | |||||||||||
| No. 52 – New England Patriots | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | March 3, 1988 Aiken, South Carolina | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College: | Florida State | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2010 / round: 7 / pick: 217 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2015 | |||||||||||
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Dekoda Watson (born March 3, 1988) is an American football linebacker who is currently a member of the New England Patriots. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Early years
Watson attended South Aiken High School in Aiken, South Carolina, where he was a letterman in football and track. In high school football, he recorded 123 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a senior, earning him all-state honors by SCVarsity.com and all-southern team by the Orlando Sentinel. In his junior season, he registered 102 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 18 sacks from the defensive end position. Watson was named Defensive MVP after recording nine tackles and a sack for the South Carolina team in the annual North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl.
In track & field, Watson was an standout athlete as sprinter/jumper. At the 2006 Region 4-4A, he captured two state titles, winning the triple jump with a leap of 42 ft 10 in (13.10 m), and running the lead leg on the South Aiken 4x100m relay, helping them win the event with a time of 42.59 seconds. In addition, he also earned a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash, with a PR time of 11.07 seconds.[1]
Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Watson was listed as the No. 25 outside linebacker in the nation.[2] He chose Florida State over South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
College career
In his initial year at Florida State, Watson played in 12 games and earned one starting assignment at the weakside linebacker position against Boston College, stepping in for the injured Geno Hayes. He totaled 23 tackles to finish second on the team among first year players (second to Myron Rolle) in total tackles, and earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors by The Sporting News.
As a sophomore, Watson started all 12 games during the regular season at the strong side linebacker position and ranked fifth on the team with a single-season career-high 50 tackles. In his junior year, he ranked fourth among Seminoles defenders with 46 tackles.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
226 lb (103 kg) |
4.40 s | 1.54 s | 4.11 s | 6.82 s | 40 in (1.02 m) |
11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) |
24 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine, except 40 yard dash which is from FSU Pro Day.[3] | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Watson was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Watson was signed to a four-year contract on June 18, 2010.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Watson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 12, 2014.[4] He was waived on November 11, 2014.[5]
Dallas Cowboys
Watson signed with the Dallas Cowboys on November 13, 2014, just four days after playing against them as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was released on May 8, 2015.
New England Patriots
Watson signed with the New England Patriots on May 12, 2015.[6] On August 31, 2015 the Patriots released Watson.
On September 16, 2015 the Patriots re-signed Watson.[7] They released him again on September 30, 2015.
Watson was once again signed by the Patriots on December 29, 2015.
References
- ^ http://sc.milesplit.com/meets/17160/results/34214
- ^ "Outside linebackers 2006", Rivals.com, January 30, 2006
- ^ "Dekoda Watson Combine Profile", NFL.com, retrieved July 4, 2013
- ^ Jaguars sign LB Dekoda Watson
- ^ Wilkening, Mike. "Jaguars waive LB Dekoda Watson, activate CB Aaron Colvin". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ "Patriots sign LB Dekoda Watson".
- ^ Alper, Josh. "Patriots sign Dekoda Watson". Retrieved 16 September 2015.