Watson\u2019s journey to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began this weekend at the team\u2019s rookie camp. He already has dropped between 25-30 pounds since weighing 464 pounds at the league\u2019s scouting combine and he plans to lose more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good story, but I don\u2019t want that to be my narrative,\u201d Watson said Saturday. \u201cI want to be known as a football player and a good football player at that. But I guess it\u2019s nice to make history.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle from Florida is working with a team nutritionist and they haven\u2019t determined an ideal playing weight for him yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still a work in progress,\u201d Watson said Saturday. \u201cThere\u2019s a way to go. We\u2019re going to see where I play best, where I feel best at.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Desmond Watson (56) works against Dvon J-Thomas (78) during the NFL football team\u2019s rookie minicamp Friday, May 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris O\u2019Meara)<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Desmond Watson (56) works against Dvon J-Thomas (78) during the NFL football team\u2019s rookie minicamp Friday, May 9, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris O\u2019Meara)<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Watson went undrafted last month before his hometown team signed him as a free agent. He couldn\u2019t stop smiling when he met with reporters before his second day of practice.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy. It\u2019s a dream come true. I can\u2019t do anything but smile,\u201d Watson said. \u201cMy life feels like a movie. You couldn\u2019t write a script where a person goes from little league to high school to college (to the NFL) not having to go out of state.\u201d<\/p>\n Watson, who grew up about 20 miles from Raymond James Stadium, said he\u2019s still never seen snow. He\u2019s excited to learn from another big man, 346-pound defensive tackle Vita Vea. Watson briefly met the two-time Pro Bowler and exchanged a handshake.<\/p>\n Vea is one of the league\u2019s premier defensive players against the run and Watson wants to be \u201ca dominant run-stopper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeing in position to have somebody you look up to and model your game after be a leader and vet at your position group, I feel like I\u2019m blessed,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles was impressed with Watson\u2019s first day but cautioned he has a long way to go.<\/p>\n \u201cHe looked just as impressive before as he does now, so he\u2019s a huge man. He\u2019s got a lot of size,\u201d Bowles said. \u201cHe has to make the team, first of all. Right now, we just have to see how long he can stay on the field and (we) put him on a program where we think he can make some progress. I think that\u2019s the biggest thing for us to do, right now. We didn\u2019t get him to say, \u2018Hey, we have to put you on the field right now.\u2019 It\u2019s, \u2018Hey, we can try to put you on this program and see what we can come up with and see if we can get our endurance better,\u2019 and have him become a better player that way, then kind of see where he is. To judge him right now is very early and we didn\u2019t get him for the tush push, we got him because we really thought he could play. It\u2019s just a matter of getting him to the point where he can play more than two or three plays a (drive).\u201d<\/p>\n Watson\u2019s size and affable personality have made him a fan favorite. He has plenty of supporters rooting for him to make the team and make an impact.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve felt the love,\u201d Watson said. \u201cMainly because it\u2019s unheard of, I feel like people gravitate toward me. It\u2019s been that way my whole life as far as just the energy I carry around. I do appreciate it.\u201d<\/p>\n Watson wowed NFL scouts last month by repping 225 pounds a whopping 36 times, which topped any bench-press performance at this year\u2019s combine. He covered the 40-yard dash in 5.93 seconds and recorded 25 inches in the vertical jump.<\/p>\n Watson finished his collegiate career with 63 tackles and 1 1\/2 sacks. He also reluctantly carried the ball for a 1-yard gain and lined up at fullback for a few more plays against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl<\/a> in December.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was special,\u201d Watson said of his carry. \u201cA lot of my supporters were trying to get me and the coaching staff to do it. I was always against it, but I felt like to finish off my college career, I had to give people what they wanted to see.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville contributed to this report.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n<\/p>\n