Vikings Draft: Chris Watt Has “Rick Spielman Guy” Written All Over Him

Mar 20, 2014; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish former football players Zack Martin (left) and Chris Watt run a drill during Notre Dame pro day at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Speculation as to the Vikings’ plans for addressing the left guard position on draft weekend have rightly centered on North Dakota State’s Billy Turner, but if the Vikings for whatever reason are unable to land Turner, what other guard prospects might tickle Rick Spielman’s fancy?

Well, how about Notre Dame’s Chris Watt?

Maybe it’s too obvious, given Spielman’s known fondness for Fighting Irish players, but Watt seems to have “Rick Spielman pick” written all over him. In big black bold letters.

Parts of the scouting report on Watt could be left over from a write-up on John Sullivan or Brandon Fusco.

Blue-collar work ethic. Tough. Scrapper. Coachable. Not the greatest athlete but compensates with technique. High character. Really good run blocker, needs work in pass protection.

You know, exactly the kind of interior lineman Rick Spielman has a habit of taking in the later rounds as a developmental player.

I can easily see Watt being picked up in the fifth and thrown into the mix in camp, along with returning penciled-in starter Charlie Johnson and flyer pick-up Vlad Ducasse.

The negatives on Watt are all physical. He has the dreaded short arm issue, and there are some health concerns (tore his PCL and MCL in college, pulled up lame during a run at Notre Dame pro day).

But beyond those worries, Watt looks to me like almost a slam-dunk Spielman pick. Rick loves him some blue-collar offensive linemen. And he really loves him some Fighting Irish.

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