The key to success in the NFL often comes down to converting third down opportunities on offense and stopping your opponents’ third down tries on defense.
It’s obviously a bit more complicated than that, but whether a team finds success or not over the course of a season often comes down to how they perform on third down.
Well, ProFootballFocus tweeted the four NFL players that had the highest pass-rush win rate on 3rd down in 2019 and No. 3 on the list with a whopping 25 percent success rate is NFL All-Pro and former Badger T.J. Watt.
Highest pass-rush win rate on 3rd down in 2019:
➤ Chris Jones – 30%
➤ Joey Bosa – 29%
➤ T.J. Watt – 25%
➤ Aaron Donald – 24% pic.twitter.com/WgfXlmgcYK— PFF (@PFF) August 1, 2020
Badger fans know well what Watt was able to do during his time in Madison, but now through three years in the NFL he has already made a Pro Bowl, been named first-team All-Pro and recorded three interceptions, 18 passes defended, 15 forced fumbles, 34.5 sacks, 70 quarterback hits and 177 tackles.
Also being named in the same company as arguably the best defensive player in the NFL in Aaron Donald and two pass-rushing stars in Joey Bosa and Chris Jones? Watt must be doing something right.
His jump from year one to year two was sizable, his jump in production from year two to year three was even bigger. If the trajectory of his career means anything about how the coming years will play out, T.J. Watt–already being one of the best outside linebackers in the league–is only getting better.