People like to act like they knew J.J. Watt was going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer from the second he stepped onto a college field. They didn't. Honestly, if you go back and look at the tape from the 2011 NFL Draft, the vibe was a lot more "Who is this pizza delivery guy?" than "Here comes the greatest defensive player of a generation."
So, let's get the big question out of the way immediately. When was JJ Watt drafted? It happened on April 28, 2011. The Houston Texans took him with the 11th overall pick in the first round.
At the time, it wasn't exactly a universal "slam dunk" pick. In fact, if you were at the Texans' official draft party at Reliant Stadium that night, you would have heard a chorus of boos. Fans wanted a "skill player" or a flashy name. They got a kid from Wisconsin who had spent time as a tight end at Central Michigan before walking on as a Badger. It's kinda funny to look back at now, right? Those fans were booing a guy who would eventually win three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards for their franchise.
The Night the Texans Changed Their Fortune
The 2011 NFL Draft was absolutely loaded. Looking back, it’s arguably one of the most talented first rounds in the history of the league. You had Cam Newton going at number one, Von Miller at number two, and guys like A.J. Green, Julio Jones, and Patrick Peterson all flying off the board early.
By the time the Houston Texans were on the clock at 11, the draft room was actually split. Former Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has been pretty vocal about this over the years. He’s mentioned that about half the room wanted Watt, and the other half wasn’t so sure. There was a lot of "dissent." Some scouts thought he was too "stiff" or that he wouldn't be a "stud pass rusher."
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One of the funniest—or most painful, depending on who you root for—things about when JJ Watt was drafted is looking at who went right before him. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to the 10th spot to take... Blaine Gabbert. Yeah. The Tennessee Titans took Jake Locker at number eight. Imagine being a Jags or Titans fan today, knowing you could have had number 99 terrorizing quarterbacks for a decade, but you ended up with a quarterback who was out of the league or a journeyman within a few years.
Why the Scouts Were Wrong About Watt
It’s easy to dunk on scouts with 15 years of hindsight, but Watt was a bit of an enigma. He was 6'5" and nearly 290 pounds, but he moved like a much smaller man. At the NFL Combine, he was a freak. He put up 34 reps on the bench press and had a 37-inch vertical jump. That’s insane for a guy his size.
Still, the "experts" had their doubts. Some of the scouting reports from 2011 are legendary for how wrong they were:
- "Won't consistently get the edge on tackles."
- "Lacks some lateral mobility."
- "He won't ever be a stud pass rusher."
Watt actually read these out loud on The Dan Patrick Show years later, laughing because he basically spent his entire career proving every single one of those sentences was garbage. He didn't just "get the edge"; he obliterated it. He didn't just rush the passer; he redefined what it meant to be an interior-edge hybrid.
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The Immediate Impact in Houston
Usually, when a defensive end is drafted at 11, the team hopes for a solid starter who might get six or seven sacks. Watt was different. Even though he "only" had 5.5 sacks in his rookie year, the impact was felt immediately.
The turning point was the 2011 playoffs. In a Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watt did the "JJ Watt thing" for the first time on a national stage. He leaped into the air, intercepted an Andy Dalton pass, and ran it back for a touchdown. That play basically announced to the world that the Texans had found a unicorn.
By 2012—just one year after when JJ Watt was drafted—he put up one of the greatest defensive seasons in NFL history. 20.5 sacks. 16 passes defended. He was swatting balls out of the air like a volleyball player. It was the start of a dominant run where he was arguably the best player in the league, period, regardless of position.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Draft Stock
There’s this myth that Watt was a "safe" pick. He wasn't. Because he had transferred from Central Michigan and played only two seasons at Wisconsin, there was a fear that he was a "one-year wonder."
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Plus, the 2011 draft class was so top-heavy with "blue-chip" prospects that Watt was sort of the "best of the rest" at pick 11. The Texans actually got lucky that two teams reached for quarterbacks (Locker and Gabbert). If those teams had gone Best Player Available, Watt probably goes in the top 7, and the history of the AFC South looks completely different.
Practical Takeaways for Football Fans
If you're looking back at this draft to understand how teams evaluate talent, there are a few real-world lessons:
- Motor Matters: One thing every scout agreed on was Watt's "high motor." In the NFL, "high motor" is often code for "white guy who isn't fast," but for Watt, it was literal. He never stopped moving. Teams now value that relentless pursuit more than almost any other trait for defensive linemen.
- The "Basketball" Test: Watt's ability to swat passes (70 career pass deflections) came from his hand-eye coordination and vertical leap. Modern defensive coaching now prioritizes "batting windows" because of what Watt did.
- Draft Day Boos Mean Nothing: If your team drafts a guy and the fans hate it, don't panic. The same people who booed J.J. Watt in 2011 were wearing his jersey and crying when he retired.
For those tracking the legacy of the 2011 class, it’s worth noting that Watt’s career earnings ended up north of $129 million. Not bad for the 11th guy off the board. If you want to dive deeper into the stats, check out his Pro Football Reference page; the 114.5 career sacks tell a story, but they don't capture the sheer terror he put into offensive coordinators every Sunday.
If you are researching this for a trivia night or just to settle a bet with a friend, remember: 2011, Pick 11, Houston Texans. It's the "triple 11" that changed the NFL.
To see how his legacy compares to other greats, your next step should be looking at the 2011 redraft articles from major outlets like NFL.com or ESPN. In almost every single one, Watt goes #1 or #2 overall. That's the ultimate proof of just how much of a steal he was at 11.