Benjamin Watson

Benjamin Seth Watson (born December 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils and Georgia Bulldogs.

Watson was selected by the New England Patriots with the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft and won Super Bowl XXXIX with the Patriots over the Philadelphia Eagles in his rookie year.

He has also played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and New Orleans Saints.

Watson was born in Norfolk, Virginia.

He attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and was a letterman in football and track.

In football, as a senior, he caught 31 passes for 515 yards.

The two-time All-Region selection and Northwestern HS Student of the Year led his team to the state championship in his junior season.

He was also a member of his high school chapter of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In track and field, Watson was a standout sprinter, recording personal-best times of 22.37 seconds in the 200 meters and 50.03 seconds in the 400 meters.

Watson played football at Duke University prior to transferring to the University of Georgia where he majored in finance.

In 3 seasons at Georgia, he had 65 catches for 852 yards and 6 TD.

Watson attended the NFL combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills.

He scored a 48 on the Wonderlic test, tying for the third highest score of any player in league history.

On March 18, 2004, Watson participated at Georgia's pro day, but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills and the 40-yard dash.

Team representatives and scouts from every team attended, including head coaches Mike Sherman (Packers) and Butch Davis (Browns).

His overall performance impressed scouts and solidified his position as a top tight end in the draft.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Watson was projected to a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.

He was ranked the third best tight end prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.

The New England Patriots selected Watson in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft.

Watson was the second tight end drafted in 2004, after Miami's Kellen Winslow II (seventh overall).

Watson held out of training camp and missed 18 days due to a contract dispute.

On August 14, 2004, Watson fired his agent Tom Condon, but was contractually obligated to retain IMG as his representative.

On August 16, 2004, the New England Patriots signed Watson to a six-year, $13.50 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $3.81 million.

Throughout training camp, Watson competed against Daniel Graham to be the starting tight end.

Head coach Bill Belichick officially named Watson the starting tight end to begin the regular season in 2004.

He made his NFL debut and first start in the Patriots' season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts and caught two passes for 16 yards in their 27–24 win, but was inactive for the Patriots' Week 2 win at the Arizona Cardinals and was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

During his absence, the New England Patriots finished first in the AFC East with a 14–2 record and reached the Super Bowl after defeating the Colts 20–3 in the AFC Divisional Round and the Pittsburgh Steelers 41–27 in the AFC Championship Game.

Watson received a Super Bowl ring after the Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24–21 in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Watson returned as the Patriots' primary starting tight end in 2005.

On October 9, 2005, Watson scored his first NFL touchdown off of a 33-yard pass by quarterback Tom Brady as the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 31–28 in Week 5.

In Week 11, he caught a season-high four passes for 66 receiving yards during a 24–17 victory against the New Orleans Saints.

On December 11, 2005, Watson caught three passes for 35-yards before exiting in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' 35–7 victory at the Buffalo Bills after suffering a concussion.

He remained inactive for their Week 15 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Watson finished the 2005 season with 29 receptions, 441 receiving yards, and four touchdown receptions in 15 games and nine starts.

The Patriots finished the 2005 season atop the AFC East with a 10–6 record and qualified for the playoffs.

On January 7, 2006, Watson started his first career playoff game and recorded five receptions for 91 yards and scored on a 63-yard touchdown reception as the Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wildcard Game.

The following week, they were eliminated during a 27–13 loss at the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round.

During the game, Watson ran the distance of the football field to catch and tackle Champ Bailey at the Broncos' one-yard line after an interception in the Patriots' end zone, preventing a touchdown.

The play has been called "one of the greatest forgotten plays in Patriots history."