Ryan Watts

Ryan Watts III (born November 7, 2001) is an American former professional football cornerback. He previously played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns.

Early life Watts hometown is Little Elm, Texas, and he attended Little Elm High School. Watts was ranked as the number 29 cornerback and number 341 overall prospect in the country by 247Sports. Watts committed to play college football at Ohio State University.

College career

Ohio State As a freshman with the Buckeyes in 2020, Watts recorded five tackles in three games. In week five of the 2021 season, he recorded his first career interception in a win over Rutgers. In the following week, Watts would record another interception, as he helped the Buckeyes beat Maryland. He finished the 2021 season with six tackles and two interceptions. After the conclusion of the 2021 season, Watts decided to enter the transfer portal.

Texas Watts transferred to the University of Texas at Austin to continue his college career. In week eight of the 2022 season, he recorded his first interception as a Longhorn, but Texas lost to Oklahoma State. Watts finished the 2022 season with 51 tackles with four going for a loss, a sack, three pass deflections, and an interception. For his performance, he was named an all-Big 12 honorable mention.

College statistics Year Team GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Solo Ast Cmb TfL Sck Int Yds TD PD FR Yds TD FF 2020 Ohio State 6 5 0 5 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2021 Ohio State 11 5 1 6 0 0.0 2 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 2022 Texas 13 33 18 51 4 1.0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2023 Texas 11 30 8 38 1 0.0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0Career 41 73 27 100 5 1.0 3 18 6.0 6 0 0 0 0

Professional career

Watts was selected with the 195th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was placed on injured reserve on August 27, 2024. On April 28, 2025, after consultation with doctors and Steelers staff, Watts was released by the Steelers due to a likely career ending neck injury sustained during the 2024 NFL preseason and will medically retire from football.