Rookie DL Desmond Watson may have become the official heaviest player in NFL history when he signed with the Buccaneers in May, but he doesn't want that to be the lead narrative of his professional career

Scott Smith

Not long after the 257th and final selection was made in the 2025 NFL Draft last month, several hundred more rookies agreed to deals with teams around the league as undrafted free agents (UDFAs). Generally, these additions receive a couple degrees less attention that is given to the draft picks, particularly in the early rounds.

Certainly, few UDFA transactions drew the amount of attention that was given to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' signing of University of Florida defensive lineman Desmond Watson, and that was due almost exclusively to one number: 464. That's how many pounds Watson weighed in at during Florida's Pro Day in the spring.

There are, of course, plenty of very big men in the NFL. The Buccaneers' roster already features a two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea, who is listed, perhaps generously, at 347 pounds. However, when Watson inked his deal with the Buccaneers on Friday, he officially became the heaviest player in league history.

Watson is well aware of the attention that number on a scale has drawn him, and he doesn't shy away from talking about it. He will be working with Buccaneer nutritionists and trainers to set a target weight for the sake of his playing ability and health and then trying to achieve it, and that will certainly remain a prominent part of his story as he tries to make it in the NFL. Eventually, however, he would like to receive attention for something more basic.

"I feel like my name is etched in history, of course, as the official heaviest player in the NFL, or whatnot," said Watson. "It's a good story; at the same time I don't want it to be my narrative. I want to be known as a football player, and a good football player at that. But it's nice to be able to make historyI guess again because I did it in college, too. It's nice to be able to make history but all in all, I am a football player and I want to be known as a good one. So it's just a process that comes with it, I guess."

Watson's weight increased from the high 300s to its current mark during his four seasons at Florida, but he never missed a game and finished his Gator days with 63 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed. He also jacked up 36 bench press reps at that aforementioned Pro Day, more than any prospect logged at this year's NFL Scouting Combine. He knows there may be people who are skeptical of his chances to stick in the NFL because of his size, but he doesn't spend much time worrying about that.

"I really try not to pay attention to it," he said. "I try to focus on what I'm good at and get better at the things I'm not good at. If there is, hopefully, I can prove them wrong in the future."

Helping to draw even more attention to the Bucs' signing of Watson was that it came right on the heels of the team using their final draft pick on Oregon wide receiver Tez Johnson, who at 154 pounds is now the lighest player in the NFL. That combination of facts (and images) quickly made the rounds on social media, and both Watson and Johnson saw it repeatedly. The two have since talked about it since arriving as new teammates at the AdventHealth Training Center, and Watson actually likes what it says about the game he loves.

"I think that just goes to show how good a sport that football is." He said. "You've got a person that's his size and a person that's my size on the same field. It's good to see. I think that's one of the things that makes football the best sport, to me personally. It's just nice to be able to see the variety of different people, different personalities, different backgrounds, and even different sizes."

Watson played his prep football at Armwood High School in the Tampa Bay area and then, as noted, played in college at Florida before coming back home to get his first crack at the NFL. That's part of the reason why he seems to be smiling a lot these days.

"I was having a conversation, maybe a couple days ago, like, 'My life feels like a movie.' You couldn't write the script where a person goes from Little League to high school to college [to the pros] without having to move out of the state. One of the coaches was messing with me the other day because I've still never seen snow.

"I'm happy. This is a dream come true. I can't do anything but smile."