[4] An equally talented basketball player, he represented both Victoria and Australia as a junior, earning a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

[15] His rise during the year saw The Age journalist, Emma Quayle, describe him as the "most complete prospect in [the] draft, he has all the athletic qualities you could want in a key forward—he's quick, agile, he's a good kick and he can mark".

[21] Completing year twelve in 2009, the need to manage school with football[2] saw the club electing to not play him in pre-season matches during the NAB Cup.

[34] He played his third and final AFL match of the year the next week in the fifty-five point loss against Brisbane at the Gabba, where The Age journalist, Andrew Stafford, noted his confidence looked low.

[44] Watts retained his spot the next week for the round nine match against Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium in Darwin, and kicked two early goals to help the club win by one point.

[50] Entering the 2011 season, Watts added significant muscle weight during the off-season,[51] which saw him play with greater impact in the forward line, as evidenced in strong performances during pre-season matches and the NAB Cup.

[59] With the club having their first bye of the season the next week, Watts returned from the break with a turnaround in form; named in Melbourne's best players in the fifty-four point loss to West Coast at Patersons Stadium in round six, he was praised for his decision making and was one of teams' positive sparks according to The Age reporter, Simon White.

[67] A drop in Melbourne's performances saw Watts return to playing parts of games in the back line; the week after the club suffered a 186-point loss to Geelong at Skilled Stadium in round nineteen—the second heaviest defeat in VFL/AFL history which ultimately cost Dean Bailey his job[68]—caretaker coach, Todd Viney, praised Watts for his performance in defence, stating he "really stood up" and "his work-rate was excellent" in the seventy-six point loss to Carlton.

[81] With Neeld claiming Watts "had a few things [he needed] to work on",[82] he played on the wing in the VFL where he kicked four goals and recorded twenty disposals and nine marks in the forty-six point win against Geelong in round seven.

[90] He played particularly well in the six point win against the second-placed team, Essendon, in round ten where he recorded twenty-four disposals, seven marks, seven rebound-50s and four tackles to earn three Brownlow votes, thereby being adjudged the best player on the ground by the field umpires.

[91][92] Three weeks later, he played his fiftieth AFL match in the seventy-eight point win against Greater Western Sydney at the MCG in round thirteen.

[103] Despite not playing and football for the week, he was recalled to the senior side for the forty-one point win against Greater Western Sydney at the MCG in round four.

[104] Watts returned to the forward line the next week in the twenty-eight point loss to Brisbane at the Gabba in round five where he kicked two goals and was named in Melbourne's best players.

[105] This was his last match before straining his hamstring and subsequently missing three weeks of football;[106] he returned for the ninety point loss against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium in round nine.

[131][132] He had a strong start to the season recording seventeen disposals, seven marks and three goals in the club's twenty-six point win against Gold Coast at the MCG in round one and was named in Melbourne's best players by AFL Media.

[144] He continued his good form playing on both the wing and in the forward line[145] and after his performance in the thirty-seven point win against Collingwood at the MCG in round eighteen where he recorded twenty-six disposals—eleven of which were contested—four marks and a goal, Herald Sun journalist, Chris Vernuccio, stated he was starting to "fulfil his potential and silence the doubters"[146] and The Age journalist, Michael Gleeson, noted he may have finally "turned a corner".

[152] Watts' positive form was especially apparent in the thirty-five point win against Collingwood at the MCG in round four where he recorded seventeen disposals, eight marks and an equal career-high four goals[153] to receive the maximum three Brownlow votes.

[154] The head of football writer at the Herald Sun, Mark Robinson, also attributed his consistency to stability in his position—whereas in previous years he was moved around the ground, even multiple times during a match—he was now used as a permanent forward playing alongside Jesse Hogan.

[155] With the late withdrawal of Cameron Pedersen from the team in the sixty-three point victory over Brisbane at the MCG in round nine, Watts was forced to play as the back-up ruckman, which further proved his versatility; the move surprised onlookers, but he was praised by the media, particularly by Fox Sports Australia journalist, Sarah Olle, who noted his athleticism led to a "surprisingly good" result.

[161] He was labelled as "the difference" in the match by Fox Sports Australia journalist, Anna Harrington,[162] and Mark Robinson noted his match-winning performance showed great leadership, an area he had previously been criticised as lacking in.

[16] After struggling to replicate his form from the juniors in the AFL, he was trialled as a defender in 2011 by then senior-coach, Dean Bailey, playing primarily as the loose man in defence.

[193] Despite the comparisons to other players, many people in the media believe the label of "number-one draft pick" placed too much unfair expectation on Watts, which he would never be able to live up to; some of these people include former Richmond and Western Bulldogs player Nathan Brown,[194] The Age journalists Greg Baum[195] and Brent Diamond,[196] and former coaches Mark Neeld and Paul Roos, who both said being the number-one draft pick set him up to fail.

[200] His first touch of the football saw him "gang tackled" by three Collingwood players, with some suggesting the tackle "ruined him"; a teammate on the day, Russell Robertson, dispelled these thoughts and said the team did not do enough to protect him, with the Collingwood captain at the time, Nick Maxwell, admitting in 2016 that the hype surrounding Watts did lead them to purposely be rougher with him than a standard player to ensure they limited his impact.

[201] Despite then-senior coach, Dean Bailey, claiming he was ready to play and keeping him in the team for three weeks,[202] the football industry disagreed and scrutinised the club for using him as a marketing tool to provide a sense of hope for fans rather than doing what was best for Watts' development.

[205][206] This was partly due to Watts displaying a lack of urgency and work-rate on the field, according to former players Wayne Carey, Garry Lyon and coach Mick Malthouse.

[207][208] He played the early parts of his career in different positions, which Garry Lyon wrote led to an instability in his game[209] and was a reason for why he, at times, lacked confidence and self-belief in his abilities.

[213] He was also plagued with being known as the "great white hope" as soon as he was drafted; and, due to the club trailing near the bottom of the ladder from 2009 to 2015 and experiencing failed rebuilds, Watts was symbolically seen as a poster boy for Melbourne's failures during this period.

[224] Mark Robinson also noted that social media is the AFL's most damaging opponent with the emergence of the platform further exposing players to public criticism and that there was not a name Watts had not been called on Facebook and Twitter.

[226] Watts' post AFL career has been subject to various forms of scrutiny, particularly his lack of consistency in North Bondi Beach Vortex's premiership.

In December 2015, Watts and two of his close friends, Adam Walsh and Jack Turner, started a men's clothing line called Skwosh which focuses primarily on swimming trunks.