Xavier Watts NFL Draft Projection: When is the Notre Dame safety draft-eligible?

Notre Dame Irish fans are wondering if after winning the Bronko Nagurski award, Xavier Watts will leave college football for the NFL.

The safety gained eligibility for the pro level after the 2022 season, his third in the NCAA. His first season as a full starter was in 2023, and evidently, it was a breakthrough year for him.

This season, Watts earned the Independent Safety of the Year, First Team All-Independent and Consensus All-American honors alongside the Bronko Nagurski awards. Earlier this month, he said about winning the latter award:

"It was kind of emotional. I didn’t really show it, but it was a lot of excitement, and it was kind of shocking.”

He's just the second player in the history of Notre Dame to win the Bronko Nagurki award.

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Xavier Watts on his change of position

Amazingly, Xavier Watts started his career as a wide receiver and was eventually changed to the defensive unit, which proved to be a blessing in disguise. About the transition from wide receiver to the rover position to safety, Watts said:

"I’m not really at the right size to be in that rover position. But obviously switching back and forth was a little bit difficult. I just kind of just stayed the course and continued to believe in myself and just kind of just trust the coaches and believe in the coaches that they know what they were doing moving me around.

"The journey I’ve been through, it’s just been difficult and just to get to that point where I’m being able to be recognized as one of the best or the best defender in the nation is just unreal."

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Will Xavier Watts declare for the NFL Draft? What's his draft projection?

At the moment, it doesn't seem like Xavier Watts has made his decision yet. What is known right now is that he will play the Sun Bowl against the Oregon State Beavers.

That's a surprising decision, given that so many players from the Fighting Irish side have decided to forgo the event (starting with QB Sam Hartman). Watts recently said about the possibility of declaring for the draft:

"I kind of just want to play football regardless, even if I was, maybe, to decide to go to the draft, I think I’d probably lean toward wanting to play the game anyway.

"Regardless, it’s your last time around all the same guys you’re going to be with. It’s your last time as the 2023 Fighting Irish. I probably would have played if I was leaving or coming back anyway."

If he declares, experts have him as a top-50 pick for the 2024 NFL Draft.