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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Maplesville High School alumnus Nathaniel Watson is poised for his first taste of regular season NFL football on Sept. 8 after making the Cleveland Browns’ 53-man roster following the team’s training camp.

Watson was selected out of Mississippi State University by the Browns in the sixth round with the No. 206 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he seemed to make an immediate impression on coaches when he got Cleveland. He worked through rookie minicamp in early summer and into training camp while making big plays during practice including intercepting quarterback Tyler Huntley, who was a Pro Bowler following the 2022 season. As he got more time in the system during training camp, he began to show why he was the 2023 AP Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, and impressed local media outlets as well.

Sports Illustrated writer Cory Kinnan marked Watson as a “winner” through the first week of the NFL preseason in August. Watson was also the highest graded Browns player following their first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 10 by Pro Football Focus, an NFL website that grades players individually each game. Watson also suffered a quad injury in the game which limited him the rest of the preseason, but his impact was still enough to secure a spot on the first 53-man roster for the Browns in 2024.

Kinnan added some commentary on Watson in his article.

“Known for his physical play at Mississippi State where he racked up double digit sacks from the second level of their defense, Watson did not disappoint in his debut,” Kinnan said in the article. “He recorded a stop tackle in just 12 snaps for the Browns, and proved to be a physical presence when fitting the run and taking on blockers. He has a chance to take some snaps at Sam linebacker this season.”

Kinnan’s observation was one that was shared by other media entities and outlets in Cleveland, and also shared by the Browns’ coaches by putting Watson on the roster. Watson’s addition to the Cleveland linebacker room gives the team depth at a position where it only takes a few injuries to players to thrust a rookie right into the fray.

Watson was listed as limited during the Brown’s week of practice leading up to their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8 and will be questionable for the game. If Watson gets on the field against the Cowboys, he will be the fourth football player from Maplesville High School to get time on an NFL field joining Tommy Agee, Jimmy Laister and Harold Varner.