College Football 2012 Top 150 Players: No. 141 Chris Watt, Notre Dame, G

After a week filled with little guys and quarterbacks, it is nice to end on one of the guys in the trenches. We still have not got up to the big boys on the defensive side of the ball, but we do make another trip to the offensive line by stopping at Notre Dame to talk about Chris Watt in our Top 150 for 2012.

No. 141: Chris Watt, Guard, Notre Dame

Watt got his chance to start full time for the Fighting Irish last season, and it is no coincidence that the run game truly picked up in Brian Kelly's second season. Watt brought the bruising style that he showed playing as a reserve in 2010 to the starting lineup, and he truly amped up the push on the left side of the Irish offensive line.

Strengths

Angry, explosive power. That's what Watt brings to the table for the Fighting Irish on a play-by-play basis. He's a lineman who loves the contact and enjoys mixing it up in the muck. Taking on three techniques seems to be fun for the kid. Comboing off the nose on to the linebackers is a treat, and if he gets a shot on the edge you better believe he's going to try and knock out a defensive back.

Watt is the type of guard you watch play and just know he was made to play on the line. Hit people, put them on the dirt and get your head up looking for someone else to hit.

Weaknesses

Dialing down his aggression is one thing that has to happen. While that angry, explosive power is a tremendous asset to Watt on a lot of plays, it can also be his downfall.

Ordinarily you think about quarterbacks and defensive backs when the idea of "short-term memory" comes up. However, with a player as passionate as Watt, he must also be able to get over plays that don't go his way, in order to perform well on the next go round from scrimmage.

2012 Prediction

Notre Dame is poised to be a heck of a ballclub in 2012. Their offensive line will be one of their strengths, and that is due in part to Watt's presence.

Last season, their two-back tandem totaled 1,893 yards and a very respectable 5.7 yards per carry. This year, with even more experience and cohesion amongst the offensive line, look for Cierre Woods to assume the true feature back role and push his 1,100 yards from a season ago even higher. Watt will be on the left side of the line, making big holes and pushing the pile.