Watt wants to follow in his famous brothers’ footsteps

INDIANAPOLIS - Most prospects at the NFL combine are hoping to make a name for themselves.

Not. T.J. Watt, who is set to join brothers J.J., the Texans superstar defensive end returning from back surgery, and Derek, a Chargers fullback coming off a solid rookie season.

Although T.J., 22, is closer to Derek, 24, the former Wisconsin Badgers outside linebacker wants to be just like his biggest brother, who is five years older.

“Early on when J.J. first started blowing up, I didn’t know how to handle it, but now definitely I love it,” T.J. said. “My brother is the best defensive player to ever play the game, in my opinion. When you play the sport of football and you have the person as your role model a phone call, a text away, it’s special. And he does it so well and so right. I’m just trying to replicate what he does.”

J.J. loaded up T.J. with advice heading into the combine, where Watt showed off his skills Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“The biggest piece of advice I got from J.J. is just to be yourself, don’t overthink things,” T.J. said. “Just be yourself, relax and you show people who you really are.”

At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, T.J. gives away an inch and 51 pounds to J.J., but he is bigger than Derek, who is 6-2, 234. Like his brothers, he’s a grinder. “What I bring is just my work ethic,” T.J. said. “I know it’s a cliche, but I do have a motor that’s nonstop. I’m just always going after the ball. I’m always going to give a team everything that I have.”

T.J. was a tight end up until 2015, when he converted to linebacker.

“Playing offense most of my life, reacting to different plays and dropping into coverage was new to me,” T.J. said. “But at this point in my game I’m pretty good at everything I do.”

In his only season as a starter last year, he parlayed a big game against LSU in the opener into an excellent junior year that included 11½ sacks, 15½ tackles for loss, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.

That was enough to convince him he was he ready to join his brothers in the NFL, so he put his education on hold.

Foster doesn’t appeared worried about combine ejection: If linebacker Reuben Foster is worried that he hurt his draft stock by getting kicked out of the scouting combine he isn’t showing it.

The former Alabama star posted a live video on Instagram on Saturday, but he demurred when fans asked about him getting sent home allegedly for getting into a heated confrontation with a hospital worker over his long wait time.

“Y’all, stop asking me what happened, for real,” Foster said on the video, according to AL.com. “Nothing happened.”

Then, Foster, the 2016 Butkus Award winner and a potential top-10 pick, deflected questions to his Crimson Tide teammates who were with him at the combine.

“Talk to Tim” Foster said in reference to Tim Williams, a defensive end who was at the Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital at the same time. “Talk to Ryan (Anderson). Talk to Dalvin (Tomlinson). Them boys know. They were there.”

Williams said he was in a different group and couldn’t say exactly what happened.

“We were all waiting for our names to be called. He was with the linebackers and I was with all of the D-line,” Williams said. “I was in a different room.”

Pass rusher Ryan Anderson could only say that there was quite a logjam of prospects at the hospital, so much so that he, himself, missed a scheduled interview with the Miami Dolphins on Friday night.

— Wire services