Gabe Watson had a tough childhood growing up in a poor neighborhood with a lot crime in the Detroit area. Additionally his mother suffered from a mental illness and would be away from Gabe and is seven brothers and sisters for periods as long as 6-12 months at a time. During that time the family suffered great loss having their home catch on fire three times. Gabe was an excellent athlete at Southfield high school where he played football, wrestled and was a member of the track team. He was a four year starter and an all-state player at both offensive and defensive tackle and even served as the teams place kicker for two years. Over the course of his final two years at Southfield, Watson recorded 152 tackles and 16 sacks. He was considered by many to be the #1 high school football prospect in the state of Michigan. He accepted a scholarship to the University of Michigan and headed to Ann Arbor after his senior year of high school. Watson came in overweight as a freshman and didn’t see very much playing time, only recording two tackles on the year. He played in every game as a sophomore but didn’t become a fulltime starter until his junior year when he totaled 37 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble, on his way to first team all-big ten honors. Prior to his senior season, Watson was expected to be one of the top defensive prospects in the 2006 NFL draft. He faced a minor setback when he lost his starting position due to lack of motivation. Watson regained his starting job a month into the season and began to get himself back on track to being one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the nation.

Gabe Watson is a huge two-gap run stopping defensive tackle. He isn’t the most athletic defensive lineman but he draws double-teams which free up his teammates to make big plays. He doesn’t get a lot of sacks, but he uses his size and strength to collapse the pocket and he will put pressure on the quarterback. Watson doesn’t have a great deal of starting experience, having only started 11 games prior to his this season and having spent the first month of his senior season primarily as a reserve player due to his lack of motivation. He doesn’t cause any problems off the field and has been involved in community service. Conditioning and motivation seem to be the two factors that could concern scouts. Watson has had his weight up over 360 pounds in the past but he has lost about 30 pounds since then. Gabe Watson has a ton of talent and the ability to become a star in the NFL if he can keep his weight under control and stay motivated.