Bookie Watson earns sixth round call in NFL Draft, selected by Cleveland Browns
A third Mississippi State Bulldog is off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The SEC’s leading tackler from last season was taken in the sixth round on Saturday as linebacker Nathaniel Watson was chosen by the Cleveland Browns, 206th overall.
Watson will join his former teammate and standout cornerback Martin Emerson in Cleveland.
“Bookie” put together a memorable career in Starkville and left his mark as one of the most productive linebackers in school history. The Maplesville, Ala., native was a two-time All-SEC linebacker as he finished in the top two in tackles in the conference each of the last two years.
This past year was one of the best ever for a State linebacker. Watson would lead the SEC in tackles (137) and sacks (10.0) as he put together a career season. He also set career highs in tackles for loss (13.0), pass deflections (3), forced fumbles (2) and fumble recoveries (2). He earned an SEC Defensive Player of the Year honor by the Associated Press.
Watson set an example of trusting the process and developing as the former high school wide receiver had to convert to linebacker full time. After starring for Maplesville in three state championship wins, Watson came to Starkville and would redshirt his first year on campus.
In 2018 and 2019 under head coach Joe Moorhead, Watson played in nine games and made a total of five tackles. He started to gain more traction as a sophomore with Mike Leach and defensive coordinator Zach Arnett in 2020 as Watson would make 40 tackles in 10 games with 3.0 TFL.
The breakthrough season game in 2021 as Watson had 84 tackles, 6.0 TFL and 5.0 sacks and then he would take things to the next level in 2022. Alongside Jett Johnson, Watson was at the top of the league in tackles as he and his teammate were one and two on the list of stops. He finished second with 113 tackles and also had 12.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks and two pass deflections.
Watson ended his State career playing for three different head coaches and defensive coordinators over six years with 379 career tackles, 35.0 TFL, 21.0 sacks, seven pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
He is currently the third Bulldog to be taken so far in the draft as he joins Decamerion Richardson who was taken by the Las Vegas Raiders in round four and defensive end Jaden Crumedy who was taken by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth.
