FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons defensive backs Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. used to be the players they now wreak havoc on.

Wide receivers.

Watts joined the University of Notre Dame as a wideout in 2020 and moved to the defense in 2021. Bowman signed at the University of Oklahoma as a defensive back and wide receiver in 2021 but nixed the offensive role once he arrived on campus.

Though the Falcons have deemed Watts a safety and Bowman a nickel since drafting them in third and fourth rounds, respectively, coaches from all areas of work have recognized their double-agent experience as a positive.

"Well, it's cool, being able to see the game from the other side and understand how one side is trying to attack the other," Falcons wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard said. "I think it brings a little bit more detail, more opportunities in certain situations. And it helps when you can cross-learn that way."

Certainly did for both.

Watts had 13 interceptions between 2023-24. Seven as a junior led the FBS. Six as a senior ranked second.

Bowman had 11 interceptions from 2022-24. His six as a junior led the Big 12 and ranked second overall.

Those marks placed Watts first and Bowman third among all NCAA players for interceptions in the last three years.

"To get into double digits, you got to be special," Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood said. "It's extremely stuff. I don't care what level of football you play. … It's not only the ability to catch it. It's the ability to put themselves in position and understand how the offense is attacking them to go make plays."

Watts averaged 21 yards per interception returned across his collegiate career. Bowman average 22.8 yards.

This is where Bowman may have an edge over Watts, at least statistically from their college days. Bowman had three pick sixes in 2023, which led the FBS. That's half his interceptions that year.

Bowman took a pick 100 yards to score in Notre Dame's 31-24 win against Brigham Young University, another 45 yards in a 69-45 win against Texas Christian University and another 44 yards in a 50-20 win against Iowa State University,

Watts, meanwhile, returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown last year in a 49-35 win against the University of Southern California in 2024. It was his only pick six.

"The background at receiver," Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said, "not only does he have the awareness and the instinct to trigger and get the ball, but he's got the actual ball skills to make it count and finish."

To be fair, a defensive back having wide receiver history from high school isn't abnormal. For example, each of the three defensive backs drafted in the first round have such experience. Watts is different in that he trained the opposite position for a year at the next level. And Bowman actually enrolled as an athlete rather than defensive or offensive player, leaving the door open for either.

Then, once Watts and Bowman became full-timers in the secondary, they clearly flourished. They kept lessons from the offense on catching and scoring. They learned new ones for the defense, where perhaps the biggest change is turnovers are desired.

"Well, shoot," Hood said. "I don't know if I've ever coached on a defense that didn't emphasize taking the ball away."