Jets’ Khiry Robinson, Craig Watts Look to go from Small School to big time

[JetNation]

By Glenn Naughton

 

All 32 NFL teams are currently able to carry up to 90 players on their expanded rosters, meaning roughly 2,800 spots are filled as of this moment. Of those players, just 9 played their college football at Division II West Texas A&M, or .003%, with two of those nine residing at 1 Jets Drive in Florham Park.

A pair of off-season additions, former Saints running back Khiry Robinson signed as a free agent and ex-Chargers offensive lineman Craig Watts came on board when the Jets signed him to a future/reserve contract following a workout with the team in January. Robinson is the more established of the two, but Watts could turn out to be an under-the-radar addition who surprises some Jets fans.

Having been buried on the Saints depth chart, Robinson has seen action in just 28 pro games (3 starts) and performed well, averaging 4.1 yards per carry on 186 attempts while Watts has only seen reps in a handful of pre-season tilts while with the Chargers.

With limited game film available but wanting to learn more about the pair, JetNation.com reached out to West Texas A&M Buffaloes head coach Mike Nesbitt, who has spent each of the past three seasons helping carry on a winning tradition in Canyon, Texas.

In 2014,  the Buffaloes finished with a winning record for the tenth consecutive season, just one year after an 11-3 campaign that earned them their second straight NCAA playoff berth, the seventh in school history.

Below is a transcript of our interview with Coach Nesbitt regarding the two current New York Jets:

Glenn Naughton: Coach Nesbitt, first of all I’d like to thank you for taking the time to speak with JetNation.com.

Mike Nesbitt: My pleasure, Glenn.

GN: Craig Watts is a player you know well from his time with West Texas A&M and he’s not very well known to Jets fans.  Could you start off by giving us a general overview on the type of person and player he is in terms of character and work ethic?

MN: Super character and a fantastic person with great work ethic.  We always thought Craig could make it once he hit his stride.  He’s a guy who was a late bloomer because once he was away from here, he really blossomed and he grew up a little bit.  Now he fits the mold of a guard or center.  He’s got great work ethic, great temperament, fantastic team guy who will definitely make your team better just by having that type of guy who can play multiple spots.  He’s very intelligent and was a fantastic student here who will spend that extra time in the film room to put in extra work.  It’s no surprise that he got picked up by the Jets after sticking with the Chargers for a while and I think he’s got a very high ceiling.

GN: He is a guy who the Jets likely saw something in because they gave him a $20,000 signing bonus which isn’t very common for players given future/reserve contracts.  I think the thing you mentioned, his versatility, gives him added value.  In going back to watch his game film with the Chargers, they worked him extensively at both left guard and right tackle.  As you might expect, he did some things well and he had some things he would need to clean up, but the thing that makes him interesting to me is the fact that he was a late starter and didn’t pick up football until his Junior year in high school, so to have come this far so quickly is very impressive.  As somebody who has worked with him up close, what would you say are some of his strengths and weaknesses?

MN: I think he’s not just an in-line blocker.  If you get him on the perimeter he’d be a good zone guy who’s great on screens, fantastic in open space with excellent feet.  Just putting him on the edge out there where he has to get to the second level, it fits for the type of guys he’ll have to play against in the NFL.  He’s just got really good athleticism, so that’s not an issue.  He’s got a good body type who can match up well against those big 3-techniques, and to me he has the power to play on the interior and he can really, really run.  I think the toughest thing for him is going to be that his length and reach aren’t ideal, but he’s a super talented guy who played with another one of the Jets’ players at tailback, Khiry Robinson.

GN: Yes, Khiry is a guy who is interesting to a lot of Jets fans because of the similarities between  him and Chris Ivory.  They’re both from Texas, both physical backs who played for the Saints and ended up with the Jets after being buried on that depth chart in New Orleans.

MN: Khiry is a fantastic player, complete back and a powerful kid, a true NFL tailback all the way.  Super runner inside the tackles and has super speed.  You guys got two really good football players from WT.

GN: With Matt Forte and Bilal Powell in the Jets backfield, we know that they can catch the ball out of the backfield.  Is Khiry a guy who has reliable hands in passing game?

MN: Absolutely.  He did a really nice job of catching the ball out of the backfield here for us and the thing with him is that he actually played a little defensive back in junior college so he’s got some really good athleticism and some really good skills.  He has the body type and that downhill power/finesse game that you guys will really like.  He played well in New Orleans too, so it’s not like he hasn’t shown he can play in the NFL.

GN: Coach, thanks so much for taking a few minutes out of your day to talk about a couple of your former pupils catching on with the Jets and continued success in 2016.

MN: Okay Glenn.  Thanks a lot.

Once again, JetNation.com would like to thank coach Nesbitt for his time and insight.

 

 

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[AFJF]

Also found this piece with former two-time pro-bowler LeCharles Bentley raving about Watts when he was coming out of college.

http://cover32.com/2014/02/25/exclusive-former-pro-bowler-lecharles-bentley-reveals-sleeper-prospect-for-dallas-cowboys-in-draft/

Matt Thornton: Speaking of young offensive line talent, do you have any players in the draft you feel might be a good fit for the Cowboys at guard?

LeCharles Bentley: I do have a guy for you. His name is Craig Watts from West Texas A&M. He’s a sleeper who many folks haven’t heard of, but I think he is a top tier talent.

Matt Thornton: Interesting! What makes Craig special as a player in your mind?

LeCharles Bentley: Craig Watts is a guy who popped on my radar because the coach at Ohio Dominican is an old friend of mine. He called me and said he had just played a player in the playoffs at West Texas A&M who I needed to check out. So I watched the film and the first thing that popped out at me was that Craig is a big guy. He’s 6-foot-4 335 pounds and he can flat out run. The style of offense he was playing in at WT was not necessarily conducive to Craig’s strengths; he’s really a more power running type of athlete. But the fact that he was still able to excel told me that although he was a fish out of water, he was a really big fish, and once you put this player in the right position to be successful, he will thrive even more. So I met Craig, and the kid has an incredible football build, but he is also an elite level person too. He’s extremely coachable and the kid is one of the best offensive line athletes that I have ever been around. He’s a very lean athlete who’s got powerful, strong arms, all the physical gifts you would want from an offensive lineman. But Craig also brings some intangibles to the table too.  He has  a high work ethic and a switch that he can turn on which allows him to go to another level to get things done. I believe that switch comes from his military upbringing.

Matt Thornton:  If the kid is as elite as you say, then why did he end up at Division II in the Lone Star Conference?

LeCharles Bentley: He is a military brat who grew up in Germany and for most of his life he was a soccer player. He has great agility and I think that comes from his soccer days. Once his family moved to Texas, he realized that in Texas, at his size, you played football. He didn’t start playing football until his junior year in high school. Much of the recruiting now happens at the sophomore year, so he went under most school’s radars. He was a late bloomer, and that’s why I believe he didn’t end up at Texas A&M (in) College Station instead of WT. So, I think both the fact that he didn’t start playing football until late, and also he grew up internationally which gives athletes a different outlook and mindset, both contributed to his attending a small school.  The late start is a positive to me because he didn’t develop any bad habits which will allow him to be a better player at the NFL level.

Matt Thornton:  Do you believe Craig Watts is a better fit at left guard or right guard?

LeCharles Bentley: That’s a good question, and there’s a cool answer to that question. He’s ambidextrous! He played some center in college, and he can snap with both his left hand and his right hand. He can play both left guard and right guard. I believe he actually has the capability to be a swing tackle at some point in time in his career, but as far as it goes on the interior, it really allows him to excel at either side. Many guys have a hard time transitioning from right guard to left guard. It’s not as easy as some people think. The mechanics are different, the way you place your hands and your stance is different, but his ability allows him to make the transition easily.

Matt Thornton: Is Watts better suited in a zone blocking or man blocking scheme? New Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s base is the Coryell Offense with primarily power running between the tackles. 

LeCharles Bentley: He can play either, but I think Watts skill set is better suited for a downhill running power blocking scheme.  But he can adapt easily to either scheme because he’s such a complete player. In today’s game, it’s so important to get guys like Watts who are versatile and can block for guys like Marshawn Lynch in Seattle who run between the tackles, but can also support the edges runners too.

Matt Thornton:  Who do you compare Craig Watts to in the NFL today?

LeCharles Bentley: I’m going to say what my friend Montrae Holland says because I think he’s right; Watts is a lot like New Orleans Saints guard Jahri Evans. Montrae spent time with Jahri in New Orleans and he said their mental makeup is very similar, their frames are similar, their movement skills, they both have off-the-charts intangibles, long arms, high motors and they both went to Division II schools which I think makes them work harder. I saw the guard class this year at the Senior Bowl, and I think Craig is in the conversation as a top three guard in this year’s draft, without a doubt. If he would have gone to a bigger college, I think he would have been a top half of the draft projection.

Matt Thornton:  Can he make the transition and play at the speed of the NFL? 

LeCharles Bentley: Every player, even guys like me who played at Ohio State, we all struggle adapting to the speed of the National Football League. The bottom line is that if a kid from a small school has the skills, and has the intangibles, he will make the transition. Once the Division I and Division II guys are rookies in the NFL, everyone is at the same level. They’re all rookies! There are many guys who I have seen who were elite in college and can’t make the transition, then you have guys like Larry Allen for example who played at Division II and thrived in the NFL. Now, I’m not comparing Watts to Larry, but I’m just saying that if the guy has the skills to play, he is going to excel. I think he will not have any problem transitioning and adapting to the NFL game.

******

Further analysis on Craig Watts revealed that he earned first team all-conference player awards and was the 2013 Lone Star Conference offensive lineman of the year. He blocked for West Texas A&M quarterback Dustin Vaughn who was the only quarterback at any college level this year to pass for more than 5,000 yards (5,401) and his 53 touchdowns also led the nation.  According to NFL Draft Scout, Watts started all 14 games and in 691 pass attempts, he didn’t allow one sack. The fact that Watts grew up in Germany playing soccer, and didn’t pick up a football until his junior year in high school validates why he was far off of any college or professional scout’s radar.  I wrote in this article yesterday that I believe this is an immensely athletic offensive line draft class, and Craig Watts is another reason why I believe that to be the case.

Read more at http://cover32.com/2014/02/25/exclusive-former-pro-bowler-lecharles-bentley-reveals-sleeper-prospect-for-dallas-cowboys-in-draft/#hcRRLAsKwb7Gj00c.99

[AFJF]

Hard to figure what to make of the Bentley comments.  If Watts was that good then he probably gets drafted, but also hard to ignore a guy with Bentley's resume says.