Top 30 Most Overlooked High School Recruits to Go Pro Since 2000
By Zach Bigalke
J.J. Watt took a circuitous route to becoming one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL. As a senior at Pewaukee High School in Wisconsin, Watt played both ways at defensive end and tight end. Coming out of high school, he was nowhere among the highly-rated recruits at either position and was ranked at two stars by both Scout and Rivals. Ultimately he made just three official visits, eventually arriving in Mount Pleasant to play for Butch Jones at Central Michigan. During his one year in the MAC, Watt caught just eight passes for 77 yards.
When the Chippewas staff suggested Watt move to offensive tackle, he instead returned to his home state to walk on for the Badgers. He redshirted during the 2008 season, then evolved into a defensive nightmare during his two years of intercollegiate play in Madison. As a redshirt sophomore in 2009, Watt piled up 4.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 44 total tackles. In his final season at Wisconsin, he improved with seven sacks, 21 tackles for loss, 62 total tackles, and an interception. Forgoing his final year of college eligibility for the 2011 NFL Draft, Watt went from walk-on to the 11th overall pick by the Houston Texans. There he earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors three times in his first five years as a pro.