The tight end from Georgia possesses great speed and strength, but he is also smart and articulate, reasons why the Patriots took him in the first round.

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, April 30, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- During the predraft process, the Patriots spoke to Georgia tight end Benjamin Watson once.

It's clear now why one conversation was all it took for the Patriots to figure out this was a guy they wanted.

Yesterday, Watson and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork were at Gillette Stadium for the annual first-round pick meet-and-greet. Rookies mini-camp begins today. Watson was about as impressive as a young man can be.

Forget the "measurables" -- which are jaw-droppingly good -- and instead consider the 23-year-old Watson's intangibles. He graduated with a degree in finance from Georgia last May and has been working on a double major since. He's the oldest of six kids raised in a home where his father meted out a special brand of "justice." He not only looks like a state trooper, he talks like one.

Several times yesterday, when Watson missed a question, he would say, "Sir?" Not "Huh?" "What?" "Say that again?" or "What's that?" Novel.

"I was brought up to show people respect and expect respect in return," Watson said. "And even if you don't get respect in return, you still show people respect because it's the right thing to do. That's just the way I grew up. I went to see my grandma in Virginia and she said, 'You better wear a suit everywhere you go.' I just said, 'Yes, ma'am.' "

Watson's GPA and conversational skills won't matter a bit come September. On the other hand, it was just five years ago that Ohio State linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer was in the same position Watson was in yesterday, and

the Big Kat's monosyllabic first impression didn't exactly set a good tone.

"You've got to be able to communicate who you are to people so that they know," said Watson. "That way, they're not guessing who you are or making assumptions about who you are. You have to be able to articulate who you are."

Little things like being able to hold a conversation can make a difference. It obviously made an impression on the Patriots who -- despite adding a couple of players with troubled pasts in the last few days -- still have a soft spot for players who are smart, tough and, well, smart. And they like them even more when they are 6-foot-3, almost 260 pounds, can run the 40 in 4.5 seconds and bench press a family of five, as Watson can.

Asked yesterday about that Bunyan-esque 565-pound bench press he threw up at Georgia, Watson confirmed it wasn't a typo. He added, "I can get my name on the all-time Georgia bench list but it doesn't mean you can go out there on the grass and play football."

Which is, of course, the reason he's here. Watson was on the board when the Patriots made the 32nd pick of the draft because his production at Georgia was just OK. Last season, he caught 23 passes for 324 yards and 2 scores. His junior year, he caught 31 passes for 341 yards and 3 scores.

His senior year was compromised by an early season high-ankle sprain that caused him to miss the second and fourth games of the year and, he said yesterday, it was an injury that affected him all year. That was more of an explanation than an excuse.

"I did everything in my capability and played as hard as I could in everything I could control," Watson said.

Watson's college career began in 1999 at Duke but he transferred to Georgia.

"I wanted Duke initially because of the academics," he said. "It was like an Ivy-League education playing in the ACC. But when I was there, I wasn't happy with the football and winning aspect of it. We worked so hard in practice, and on Saturdays we struggled. I wanted a chance to play for a national championship, play in bowl games and do the big-time college football things. I didn't realize until I got there how important it was to me. After I got to Duke, I realized I was selling myself short on that end of the deal."

He's preparing himself to work harder on the little things at the pro level.

"The further along I've gone, the more a student of the game I have to be," he said. "Everybody can run and jump. On this level, everybody can do everything well and many times better than you can. On this level, I think I'll be even more of a student of the game, breaking down film and taking notes in meetings in order to be successful."

Watson comes from an athletic family. His father played college football and his 21-year-old sister, Jessica, runs track at Coastal Carolina. His other siblings are brothers Matthew (15), Asa (13) and Joel (8) and sister Karis (11).

"My dad carried the biggest stick," said Watson. "We called his belt 'Mr. Justice' because it dealt out justice for everybody.

"I once got in trouble for smart-mouthing my mom. My dad was at work. My mom called my dad at work and said, 'Benjamin said such-and-such to me.' My dad got me on the phone and said, 'Benjamin, when I get home from work, be ready for your whupping at 5 o'clock.' When he got home, I was in the bed pretending I was asleep with sweatpants and jeans on. He said to me, 'Don't ever disrespect my wife again.' "

And justice was served.

In an upbringing like that, it's not hard to understand why Watson says he hasn't changed a bit since he was drafted and doesn't plan to.

"People look at you differently but I'm still the same Benjamin," he said. "I just got a phone call and now I'll be playing pro football."