ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Growing up in the small city of Aiken, South Carolina, linebacker Dekoda Watson can remember the last people who made their way to the NFL from his alma mater of South Aiken High School. Michael Dean Perry and Ray Roundtree's careers had much different arcs; Perry was a six-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro during his 10 years in the NFL, but Roundtree's NFL career was all too short: just four games in 1988.
Watson may not have the Pro Bowls of Perry and he may have longevity beyond Roundtree, but that undeterminable time at the top for a select few over the past four decades is part of a message he wants to impart on the youth of his hometown.