FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Xavier Watts had just been drafted by the Atlanta Falcons on April 25 when a notification popped up on his phone. It was an Instagram message from Falcons star safety Jessie Bates III.
Watts, a third-round pick out of Notre Dame, had modeled his game after Bates, one of the best safeties in the NFL. When teams asked him who his pro comparison was during the pre-draft process, Watts always answered Bates. So, when Bates shot him a DM -- "can't wait to get to work with you" -- just minutes after his name was called, Watts was on Cloud 9.