J . J . Watt Justin James " J . J . " Watt ( born March 22 , 1989 ) is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Wisconsin . He was drafted 11th overall by the Houston Texans in the 2011 NFL Draft . Early years . Watt was born in Waukesha , Wisconsin . He attended Pewaukee High School in Pewaukee , Wisconsin . He played both defensive end and tight end . Watt also lettered in baseball , basketball , and track during his high school career . As a senior , Watt was state champion in the shot put . In addition , he played ( ice ) hockey for ten years between the ages of 3 to 13 before he quit and eventually became a multi - talented student athlete in the four other sports listed above . He has two younger brothers , Derek Watt , who currently plays for Wisconsin , and TJ Watt , who on February 6 , 2013 signed his letter of intent to play at Wisconsin . College career . Central Michigan . Watt attended Central Michigan University for one year in 2007 . While there , he played tight end and caught eight passes for 77 yards . Frustrated by his lack of direction at Central Michigan , he transferred to Wisconsin . During this time he began delivering pizzas and had a somber encounter with a fan , where he regained his focus , telling himself , " I don ' t want to be delivering pizzas . I want to be playing football . " Wisconsin . After being redshirted in 2008 , Watt started all 13 games at defensive end in 2009 . He finished the season with 44 tackles and four sacks . In the 2010 season , Watt finished the regular season with 59 tackles , seven sacks , two fumble recoveries , and an interception . Watt was the 2010 recipient of the Lott Trophy and was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award . Professional career . On January 6 , 2011 , Watt announced that he would forgo his senior year of college to enter the 2011 NFL Draft . Houston Texans . On April 28 , 2011 , Watt was drafted 11th overall to the Houston Texans . On July 31 , 2011 , Watt was signed to a four - year contract with the Texans worth $ 11 , 237 , 000 , which includes a signing bonus of $ 6 , 672 , 000 . Rookie Season . In his first regular season game with the Texans , Watt recorded five tackles ( all solo ) and recovered a fumble . Watt finished the regular season with 56 tackles ( 48 of them solo stops ) , 5½ sacks , 2 fumble recoveries , 4 passes defensed , and a blocked field goal . In the Texans ' first ever playoff game on January 7 , 2012 against the Cincinnati Bengals , Watt intercepted quarterback Andy Dalton and returned it for his first career NFL touchdown to give Houston a 17 - 10 lead . The Texans won 31 - 10 . Interestingly , Dalton had been the Quarterback that beat Watt ' s Badgers in the 2011 Rose Bowl the year before . In the Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens on January 15 , 2012 , Watt sacked quarterback Joe Flacco 2½ times , equal to fellow rookie Brooks Reed . However , the Texans lost 20 - 13 , ending the franchise ' s first playoff run . 2012 Season . During the week 12 Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions , Watt broke the Texans franchise record set by former teammate Mario Williams for most sacks in a single season . Watt finished the regular season with 81 tackles ( 69 solo ) , 20 . 5 sacks , 23 tackles for loss , 4 forced fumbles , 2 fumble recoveries , and an astonishing 16 passes defended - a statistic usually reserved for defensive backs . Making his All - Pro debut , he was a unanimous choice for The Associated Press All - Pro team . Because of his knack for batting balls down at the line of scrimmage , he was nicknamed " J . J . Swatt " by Monday Night Football commentator and former NFL head coach Jon Gruden . Watt became the first player in NFL history to record 16 . 5 sacks and tip 15 passes in a single season after a Week 13 victory against the Tennessee Titans . He was a starting defensive end for the AFC Division in the 2013 Pro Bowl . J . J . Watt and the Texans were in the top of the AFC for the first sixteen weeks , but with a loss to the Colts in week 17 , with Broncos and Patriots wins , they slid down to the third seed and faced the Cincinnati Bengals in the wildcard round for the second consecutive postseason . In the game , J . J Watt had 5 tackles and a sack . He helped the Houston defense hold Bengals to 6 ( offensive ) points to give Texans a 19 - 13 victory . The Texans played at the Patriots ( # 2 seed ) in the divisional round . J . J . Watt and the defense were not as dominant in this match and allowed 41 points . Watt only had 4 tackles and 0 . 5 sacks in the game , and the Texans were eliminated with a final score of 41 - 28 . On January 15 , 2013 , Watt was selected as the AFC Defensive Player of the Year . On February 3 , 2013 , Watt was awarded the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year , receiving 49 of the 50 total votes . Charitable Work . Watt founded and serves on the board of directors of the Justin J . Watt Foundation which provides support to after - school athletic programs in Wisconsin and Texas . External links .