3-time state champion chosen in NFL Draft

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1. Sports

• Updated: Apr. 27, 2024, 4:31 p.m.|
• Published: Apr. 27, 2024, 4:20 p.m.

Maplesville's Nathaniel Watson catches a 2-point conversion pass against Pickens County during the AHSAA Class 1A Championship Game on Dec. 1, 2016, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn.(Dennis Victory/preps@al.com)

The Cleveland Browns selected Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson at No. 206 in the NFL Draft on Saturday.

The sixth-round pick was a standout at Maplesville High School.

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Watson was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press and was a finalist for the Butkus Award after he led the league with 137 tackles and 10 sacks during the 2023 season. He became the first player to lead the SEC in both stats in the same season.

After his sixth season at Mississippi State, Watson played in the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile and participated in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

At the combine, Watson measured 6-foot-2, weighed 233 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds.

At Maplesville, Watson was an All-State selection as a wide receiver in 2016, when he had 45 receptions for 1,070 yards and 12 touchdowns, and in the athlete slot in 2017, when he had 45 receptions again, ran for seven touchdowns and intercepted three passes.

Watson played for the Red Devils' AHSAA Class 1A championship teams in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Maplesville had a 41-1 record in those seasons. In 2017, the Red Devils were 11-0 when they were defeated by Sweet Water 26-21 in the third round of the 1A playoffs. The Bulldogs went on to win the state title.

Former NFL fullback Harold Morrow is Watson's uncle. The former Auburn standout played in 142 regular-season and nine playoff games in 10 NFL seasons from 1996 through 2005 after entering the league as a undrafted rookie.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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