McWatters was born and grew up in Donie, Texas and attended Teague High School.
McWatters was selected in the eighth round of the 1964 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
[3] In training camp as a rookie, Tom Franckhauser suffered a near-fatal and career-ending brain injury when he attempted to tackle McWatters during a scrimmage.
[4] He played in 11 games with one start as rookie, serving mostly as the backup to Pro Bowl fullback Bill Brown and rushing for 60 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.
[8] McWatters was signed by the Richmond Roadrunners of the Atlantic Coast Football League in 1967 and played there for two seasons.