Man of Steel: T.J. Watt Is My NFL Defensive Player of the Year

“With the thirtieth pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select T.J. Watt, outside linebacker, Wisconsin.”

In all honesty, nothing jumped off the page at me when the Steelers drafted T.J. Watt in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. I only knew him as the brother of J.J. Watt, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner. Although he had 11.5 sacks in 2016 at Wisconsin, there was not much evidence of a dominant pass-rusher in the making.

Watt’s measurements were somewhat impressive. Listed at the combine at 6’4½” and 252 pounds, he ran the forty-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, and completed 21 bench press reps. His dominant combine performance definitely caused teams to decide that Watt was worthy of a first-round pick.

After winning the starting outside linebacker job from veteran star James Harrison in the preseason, T.J. was set to debut in week one of the 2017 season against the Cleveland Browns. In his first game, Watt recorded seven total tackles, two sacks, and an interception, becoming an instant star of the Steeler defense and proving that he was absolutely worth the first round pick. He finished his rookie year with 54 combined tackles (including ten tackles for loss), seven sacks, and one interception. Watt burst onto the scene in his sophomore season with thirteen sacks, twelve tackles for loss, and six forced fumbles, en route to making his first of three consecutive Pro Bowls.

Watt was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in his third year and, in my opinion, should have won the award. On top of forcing eight fumbles, two interceptions, and eight passes defensed, Watt recorded 14.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and an insane 36 quarterback hits. He was named to his second Pro Bowl, and was recognized as a first-team All-Pro.

This year has been T.J.’s best season to date. At the time of writing this piece, Watt leads the NFL in sacks, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits, propelling himself into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation yet again. In addition, Watt became the first player in Steeler franchise history with 14 or more sacks in multiple seasons. For a franchise that is known for its illustrious history of Hall of Fame defensive talent dating back to the famous Steel Curtain of the 1970s, Watt creating new records in itself is beyond impressive, but is especially incredible since this is only his fourth season in the league.

If T.J. Watt does not win the Defensive Player of the Year Award this year, it will be an embarrassment for the NFL. To say that he has been solely dominant this season would be an understatement—his consistent annihilation of opposing offensive lines was a major factor in Pittsburgh’s initial 11-0 undefeated run. Not bad for a player I doubted less than four years ago on draft night.