Linebacker, Mississippi State, 2018–23
Nathaniel Watson
Lettered 2019–23 (school media guide)
- Number
- No. 14
- Height
- 6′2″
- Weight
- 245 lb
- Class (2023)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Maplesville, AL
- Born
- Sep 1, 2000
Nathaniel Watson played linebacker at Mississippi State (2018–23). The Cleveland Browns took Watson in round 6, No. 206 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
21tackles, career hightwice; last vs. Ole Miss, 20232sacks, career hightwice; last at Arkansas, 2023Honors
Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.
Defense
| Season | Team | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Mississippi State | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Mississippi State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Mississippi State | 39 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | Mississippi State | 83 | 33 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2022 | Mississippi State | 109 | 50 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 137 | 35 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Career | 373 | 136 | 35 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 12 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls. A dash: the source has no number for that season (often an FCS season), and career totals count only the numbers on file.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Mississippi State | 14 | LB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2019 | Mississippi State | 14 | LB | Yr 2 | ||
| 2020 | Mississippi State | 14 | LB | Yr 3 | ||
| 2021 | Mississippi State | 14 | LB | Yr 4 | ||
| 2022 | Mississippi State | 14 | LB | Yr 5 | ||
| 2023 | Mississippi State | 14 | LB | Sr. (Yr 6) | 6′2″ | 245 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2023 Mississippi State 12 games, 137 tackles, 10 sacks, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. SE Louisiana | W 48–7 | 8 | 3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 9 | vs. Arizona | W 31–24 | 10 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 16 | vs. LSU | L 14–41 | 13 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 23 | at South Carolina | L 30–37 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 30 | vs. Alabama | L 17–40 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 7 | vs. Western Michigan | W 41–28 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 21 | at Arkansas | W 7–3 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 28 | at Auburn | L 13–27 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 4 | vs. Kentucky | L 3–24 | 7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 11 | at Texas A&M | L 10–51 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 18 | vs. Southern Miss | W 41–20 | 21 | 3 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 23 | vs. Ole Miss | L 7–17 | 21 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 Mississippi State 13 games, 109 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 INT
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs. Memphis | W 49–23 | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 10 | atArizona | W 39–17 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 17 | atLSU | L 16–31 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 24 | vs. Bowling Green | W 45–14 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 1 | vs.Texas A&M | W 42–24 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 8 | vs.Arkansas | W 40–17 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 15 | atKentucky | L 17–27 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 22 | atAlabama | L 6–30 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 5 | vs.Auburn | W 39–33 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 12 | vs. Georgia | L 19–45 | 16 | 5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 19 | vs. East Tennessee State | W 56–7 | 4 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 24 | atOle Miss | W 24–22 | 10 | 7 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2 ✦ | vs. Illinois | W 19–10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2021 Mississippi State 12 games, 83 tackles, 5 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs. Louisiana Tech | W 35–34 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 11 | vs. NC State | W 24–10 | 5 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 25 | vs.LSU | L 25–28 | 6 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2 | atTexas A&M | W 26–22 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | vs.Alabama | L 9–49 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 23 | at Vanderbilt | W 45–6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 30 | vs.Kentucky | W 31–17 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 6 | atArkansas | L 28–31 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 13 | atAuburn | W 43–34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20 | vs. Tennessee State | W 55–10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 25 | vs.Ole Miss | L 21–31 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 28 ✦ | vs. Texas Tech | L 7–34 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2020 Mississippi State 10 games, 39 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26 | atLSU | W 44–34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 10 | atKentucky | L 2–24 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 17 | vs.Texas A&M | L 14–28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 31 | atAlabama | L 0–41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 7 | vs.Vanderbilt | W 24–17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 21 | atGeorgia | L 24–31 | 4 | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 28 | atOle Miss | L 24–31 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 12 | vs.Auburn | L 10–24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 19 | vs. Missouri | W 51–32 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 31 ✦ | vs. Tulsa | W 28–26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2019 Mississippi State 1 game, 2 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. Louisville | L 28–38 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 Mississippi State 2 games, 3 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Int | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | vs. Stephen F. Austin | W 63–6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 3 | vs.Louisiana Tech | W 45–3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
Played in the 2024 Senior Bowl (American team, lost 7–16).
| Drill | Combine 2024 | Combine or pro day 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 6′2¼″ | |
| Weight | 233 lb | |
| Arm length | 32⅞″ | |
| Hand size | 9⅞″ | |
| Wingspan | 81″W | |
| 40-yard dash | 4.63 s | |
| 10-yard split | 1.59 s | |
| Vertical jump | 31″ | |
| Broad jump | 9′3″ | |
| Bench press | 16 reps | |
| 3-cone drill | 7.34 s | |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.44 s |
Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
2 seasons, 9 games with a stat; latest team: Cleveland Browns.
| Season | Team | G | Tkl | Sacks | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Cleveland Browns | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 (so far) | Cleveland Browns | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 9 | 12 | 0 | 0 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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