The San Francisco 49ers lost several key players in free agency this offseason. One big loss was hard-hitting safety Talanoa Hufanga who joined the Denver Broncos.
The Niners could draft a perfect replacement in Notre Dame ballhawk Xavier Watts.
Watts had a very good career for the Fighting Irish, especially in his final two seasons. In 2023, he had 30 solo tackles and seven interceptions on the season. He followed that up with another impressive campaign in 2024, recording 52 solo tackles and six interceptions including an impressive 100-yard pick-six.
He was a wide receiver when he first arrived at Notre Dame, but his final three years he was a full-time safety, so he has a good amount of experience at the position.
Watts ranked as one of the top safeties at the NFL Scouting Combine. His prodcuction score was the third highest among safeties, and NFL.com notes that he has great instincts and anticipation, which is why he was able to create 13 turnovers on interceptions in his final two years.
NFL Draft Buzz notes that Watts can be overly aggressive at times and needs to clean some things up in man coverage. Those seem like things defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and his staff could help with if San Francisco does end up drafting him.
Watts projects to be a late first-round pick, according to Bleacher Report. That means the 49ers could be reaching a bit if they decided to take him with the 11th overall pick, but if they opted to trade down to later in the first round (or trade back up into it from Round 2), then perhaps Watts would still be there.
As of right now, the Niners figure to have Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown as their two safeties to begin next season. Mustapha had a very impressive rookie campaign, while Brown regressed a bit in his sophomore season. Adding Watts to the mix would give San Francisco two strong safeties in the defensive backfield between him and Mustapha.
Safety is probably not the highest priority for San Francisco given all of the holes on the defensive line, but adding Watts could turn the secondary into a strength next season, so it may be worth the risk of trading down with the hopes of landing him late in the first round.
Hufanga's departure will leave a hole in the secondary and Watts may be the perfect player to fill it.