EverythingTop10 is proud to present, “The Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About TJ Watt!”
#10.
TJ has two well-known brothers also playing in the NFL, JJ and Derek Watt.
JJ plays for the Houston Texans while Derek also plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The trio are notoriously competitive with each other and their desire to compete began
at an early age, playing sports in the family’s home basement.
While living in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the trio turned every workout at NX Level Fitness Center
into a competition, according to the club’s owner Brad Arnett.
Whether it was lifting weights, sprints, medicine ball throws, or any other type of workout,
each brother wanted to be the best.
Their desire to compete is one reason all three made it to the NFL.
#9.
TJ was drafted in 2017 by the Steelers as the 30th overall pick.
Selected as a linebacker, he was not originally a defensive player, which is remarkable as
he has excelled as a pass rusher.
He was recruited by the University of Wisconsin to play as a tight end.
In fact, he was a highly rated pass catcher and blocker coming out of high school.
However, a dislocation of his kneecap put him on the sidelines for a longer period.
It took around five months for him to recover from the initial injury.
Once he returned, the Wisconsin coaching staff suggested he move to the defensive side of
the ball to preserve his knees and prolong his football career.
It was a wise move.
TJ is now a three-time NFL Pro-Bowler.
#8.
Injuries and moving to defense meant TJ played a mere 22 games for the Wisconsin Badgers
at linebacker.
In spite of the low number of games at the position, he was highly sought-after by several
NFL teams in 2017.
One of the main reasons for NFL teams seeking to draft TJ was due to his family’s reputation.
Scouts stated TJ had a “non-stop motor” which made him a great prospect.
It is a non-stop motor that his brothers are also said to possess.
#7.
TJ played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, following in his brothers’ footsteps.
A three-star high school recruit, TJ nearly missed out on playing for the Badgers.
Tight end Scott Orndoff had originally committed to Wisconsin, but decided against playing
for the Badgers when coach Joe Rudolph left Wisconsin for Pittsburgh University.
TJ was able to take Orndoff’s place.
Had Orndoff not decommitted and gone to Pitt instead, TJ may have been forced to take an
offer from Northern Illinois or Minnesota, two teams that recruited him.
The Steelers linebacker may never have made it to the NFL had he gone to another school.
#6.
Fitness experts claim that a 50-inch box jump is an impressive accomplishment.
The box jump shows an athlete’s mobility and explosive power.
In 2015, TJ was videoed completing a 61-inch box jump, showing he is superhuman in the
weight room.
A 61-inch box jump equates to a person standing 5-feet 1-inch tall.
The jump is incredibly impressive, but considering TJ weighed 293 pounds and stood 6-feet 5-inches
tall at the time, it is even more remarkable.
#5.
TJ has a lot in common with brother JJ.
Not only are they both tremendous pass rushers, but they are attracted to professional soccer
players.
JJ married Chicago Red Stars player Kealia Ohai in 2020 after the couple dated for around
four years.
Not to be outdone, TJ is currently dating Dani Rhodes, a former Wisconsin Badgers women’s
soccer star and current member of the Chicago Red Stars, alongside Ohai.
TJ and Rhodes could follow in the footsteps of JJ and Ohai in the near future and walk
down the aisle.
The couple have been together since TJ was a student at Wisconsin University.
#4.
As previously mentioned, TJ’s older brothers JJ and Derek both play in the NFL.
When the Steelers played the Texans early in the 2020 season, it was just the second
time in NFL history, since 1927, that three brothers played in the same NFL football game.
Just a year before the Watts all suited up for the same NFL game, Tremaine, Terrell,
and Trey Edmunds all played in the same game as the Buffalo Bills took on the Steelers.
#3.
TJ may be a three-time Pro-Bowl football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but football
wasn’t his first sporting love.
He was an excellent ice hockey player growing up in the snowy, cold hockey-loving state
of Wisconsin.
He was a center and apparently a very good one.
He played ice hockey from the age of two up to 11, when football took over his life.
He was such a good ice hockey player that he played for traveling teams that competed
in tournaments in Canada and Europe.
He decided to focus on football after ice hockey’s practice, game, and financial demands
became more than what his family could do or afford.
#2.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some amazing linebackers over the years including Jack
Lambert, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, and Jack Ham.
TJ is the latest in a long line of great Steelers linebackers and his abilities were on display
in his first season with the team.
TJ was the first rookie outside linebacker to start in a season opener for the Steelers
since Aaron Jones did it in 1988.
Famous Steelers linebackers such as James Harrison, Joey Porter, Lamar Woodley, and
Jason Gildon did not start a season opener for the Steelers as rookies.
#1.
TJ has experienced his fair share of adversity.
The knee injuries he suffered while playing for the Wisconsin Badgers were so bad that
they not only influenced him to change positions, but he had to undergo two knee surgeries,
one on each knee.
According to TJ, his kneecap injuries were due to genetics and had he not undergone operations
on both knees, he may have suffered further injury issues and never made it to the NFL.
That’s all folks!
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