Steelers' top pick T.J. Watt overcomes injuries to follow brothers to NFL
As the oldest brother on a family tree that now counts three NFL members, J.J. Watt was elated to see 22-year-old T.J. drafted in the first round Thursday night by the Steelers.
If you're looking for the most gratifying moment, that came nearly two years earlier.
T.J. Watt, then a redshirt sophomore at Wisconsin, was recovering from a second knee surgery — one on each leg — and facing the prospect he might never follow in the football footsteps of J.J., the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and middle brother Derek, a fullback with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Obviously, when he was going through that time in his life, it was a very, very difficult time,” J.J. Watt said Friday on a conference call. “When you hear him on the phone and he's crying after his second injury, and all you can hear in his voice is how badly he wants to play football and how tough of a time it was ... to persevere and overcome adversity, these are the times that really will make you stronger in the end.
“That's the part I'm most proud of for him, that after all that, the ability to come out of that and perform so strongly when it would have been very easy to give up and say, ‘Maybe this just isn't for me. Maybe it wasn't meant to be.' ”
After being asked to switch positions –- another obstacle he had to overcome –- T.J. Watt ascended so quickly as an outside linebacker at Wisconsin that the Steelers didn't hesitate to select him with the No. 30 overall draft pick.
“He has worked so hard, and he's been through a lot,” J.J. said. “He's so deserving.”
Following his senior year at Pewaukee (Wisc.) High School, T.J. matriculated to Wisconsin, just like his older brothers. After redshirting as a freshman, Watt had a series of injuries to his knees. J.J. used his Houston Texans connections to get Walt Lowe, the team physician, to perform surgery. In spring practice in 2015, Watt injured his left knee, also requiring another surgery by Lowe.
Watt said his injury was related to a genetic condition.
“I knew I would be suspectible again if I didn't have surgery,” Watt said.
Even at his lowest point, Watt said he didn't think his football career was over.
“Maybe it might have crept in the back of my mind after the second injury, but I truly don't think so,” Watt said. “This is what I was born to do, and I've believed that since a really, really young age.”
Watt returned that summer, but new coach Paul Chryst, fresh from leaving Pitt, asked him about switching to defense. Watt was recruited as a tight end.
Again, Watt turned to his oldest brother, who started as a tight end at Central Michigan before transferring and walking on at Wisconsin as a defensive end.
“One thing I told T.J.: The best part about defense is you get to control your own destiny on every play,” J.J.said. “You don't have to wait for somebody to throw you the ball. You just get to go out there and make plays.”
Watt embraced the change but because of his injuries, he hadn't played in a game in nearly three years, since late in his senior high school season. In 2015, as a reserve linebacker in Wisconsin's 3-4 scheme, Watt contributing eight tackles, three pass breakups and no sacks while playing in all 13 games.
Watt, though, was revitalized by his return to football. It was after the second injury and surgery that he dedicated himself to recapturing his love for the sport.
“I finally realized how important the game is to me because it has been taken away from me twice,” he said. “I truly love the process of football. I'm not just a gamer. I love practice. I love working out. I love all the little details of football, and being injured and sitting out for an extended period of time taught me those values.”
Watt opened eyes in the 2016 season opener against LSU. Watt had seven tackles –- one fewer than the entire 2015 season –- and made a key stop of LSU running back Leonard Fournette on a fourth-and-1.
“I felt like it put me on the map a little bit,” Watt said.
It was while watching that game that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin started envisioning a future for Watt in black and gold.
Watt finished the season with 63 tackles (15 1⁄2 for loss) and 11 1⁄2 sacks.
“I think the myriad of things they asked him to do within that scheme made it an easy evaluation,” Tomlin said. “You see him come off the edge. You see him drop into coverage and cover people. You see him work out of a rover front where he is floating over and around the ball in a similar way that we ask our guys to play.
“All of the things that he would be asked to do here, we've seen him do on Wisconsin tape, and we've seen him do very well.”
Now, Watt will be tasked with carrying the family torch amid the ultimate comparisons to his older siblings. He welcomes the challenge.
“This,” Watt said, “is just the beginning.”
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.
