"He's unstoppable": NFL fans react as J.J. Watt endorsed Elijah Simmons in 2019, 'full-circle' moment at 2025 Combine

J.J. Watt had a dominant 12-year career in the NFL, mostly with the Houston Texans, as he was a seven-time All-Pro and three-time Defensive Player of the Year. The pass rusher took to then-Twitter in 2019 to suggest that his team draft Elijah Simmons, who was still a senior in high school.

"Can we draft #72 from the Tennessee metro high school team? Kid looks like a beast."

Check out J.J. Watt's tweet on Elijah Simmons below:

The NFL's official account shared that tweet as Simmons ran a 5.38 official 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine on Thursday, tweeting:

"Full circle moment ❤️ @901_hollywood_e | @jjwatt"

Check out the tweet from the NFL's official account below:

Fans shared their reaction to the moment. @spiderr_web3 labeled the 2025 NFL Draft prospect as unstoppable:

"He's unstoppable"

@0604Reynolds shared one way that the situation would truly come full circle:

"Now imagine if JJ Watt announces that the Texans drafted him"

@AlexMarkNJ noted that Simmons could wind up with one of Watt's former teams:

"That’s awesome. Maybe the Cardinals or Texans are watching."

@BlazeRN617 joked that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is a medium:

"JJ Watt calling shots left and right... who knew he was also a medium"

@BrentSteele18 shared high praise for the former Tennessee Volunteers nose tackle:

"Awesome player/better person 🍊"

@SwaggerVol had a similar sentiment:

"Really solid NT."

J.J. Watt doubles down on promise to return to the NFL after bet with EFL Championship goalkeeper

J.J. Watt retired from the NFL following the 2022 season and appears to be enjoying his retirement. He could be forced to put the pads back on, however, following a bet with James Trafford, the goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Burnley, where Watt is a minority owner.

The former NFL star took to X on Tuesday to reveal that Trafford is halfway to fulfilling his end of the bet, tweeting:

"12 matches since the deal, 12 shutouts. 12 more matches to go… This is my pinky game @BarstoolBigCat"

Check out the tweet from J.J. Watt below:

Trafford is a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals and asked Watt if he would come out of retirement to play for the franchise. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year claimed that he would if the goalkeeper did not allow a goal for the rest of the season. While it seemed unlikely at the time, the Burnley goalkeeper is halfway to holding up his end of the bargain.