Philadelphia Eagles draftee Quez Watkins is a quarterback’s best friend
The Philadelphia Eagles got a YAC wizard in Quez Watkins.
When a team like the Philadelphia Eagles selects three wide receivers – and trades for one more – during the same draft, it’s hard to give each player their due diligence.
It’s unfortunate, a major bummer, and a tad unfair, but hey, that’s the business my friends. When a team invests a first-round pick on a ‘mostly’ unexpected Big 12 receiver like Jalen Reagor and then doubles down on the position with a high-upside height-weight-speed prospect in John Hightower, it’s hard to find words to express excitement over yet another speedy 6-foot-tall receiver with sub-4.5 speed who may find himself the odd man out in a loaded position group.
Which is a shame, because Quez Watkins is actually a pretty darn impressive player.
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A three-year contributor at Southern Miss, Watkins is kind of a hard to project into the NFL. He was never gifted exceptional quarterback play, played in a rather uninspiring offense, and only faced off against ranked opponents twice over his college career – catching eight passes for a rather unimpressive 72 in a pair of losses to Alabama in 2019 and Auburn in 2018.
But what Watkins can do, despite having everything stacked against him, is make plays with the ball in his hands.
Sure sure, he can catch a vertical route lined up wide, and even do so in a 50/50 situation, but where Watkins shined in college – and should shine in the NFL – is as a YAC magnet. Flip on Watkins’ highlight reel and you’ll see play after play where the 21-year-old former two-star recruit catches a ball within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage, juke out a defender – or three – and take the ball for a massive gain.
A highlight reel is just that, a highlight reel, but watch enough tape on Watkins and it’s worth wondering how he fell so far on Day 3 when far less explosive players like K.J. Osborn and Darnell Mooney went one round prior. Had Watkins been drafted by a team like the Green Bay Packers, there would probably be dozens, if not hundreds of articles written about how his speed and elusivity can transform Matt LaFleur’s offense into a juggernaut. Not saying that would happen or anything, but the hype would be palpable.
Fortunately, Watkins fell to Philadelphia, where Howie Roseman snapped up yet another member of his preseason track team.
Is Watkins going to take the team – and league – by storm right away and win a starting spot right out of training camp? Probably not, as it’s hard to realistically imagine Watkins getting snaps above Reagor, Hightower, or even Marquise Goodwin, but what he can do, and do really well, is make big plays as a gadget player.
Whether schemed open across the middle of the field when deployed in the slot, used on jet sweeps, or even lined up in the backfield as a pass-catching outlet pass, Watkins is the kind of player who can turn nothing into something when afforded a chance to plant his feet, turn his head, and make plays like a pick and roll point guard. If the Eagles do, in fact, opt to use Jalen Hurts in a wildcat, Taysom Hill-esque role, Watkins is an ideal player to pair up with the former OklaBama quarterback – who ironically, he’ll surely develop a nice repertoire with during training camp when paired up on the second and third-team offense.
Doug Pederson’s offense ranked 28th in YAC in 2019. While Watkins isn’t a magic pill, his ability to make moves across the middle of the field could help to creep that number back to average in a non-insignificant way.
If the Eagles can find a way to sneak Watkins onto their roster in 2020, avoiding a potential practice squad poaching from a team like the Packers, a year of seasoning in the ways of an NFL wide receiver could go a long way to his development as a legit contributor down the line.
2020 is great and all but what the Eagles really need to do is find some long-term, cornerstone players to build around long-term. Watkins may never develop into an every-down starter, but his speed, size, and explosiveness could keep him gainfully employed for the next four years at a minimum.
Next. John Hightower could be the Philadelphia Eagles’ Robby Anderson. dark
Did the Philadelphia Eagles add one, two, four, or no starting wide receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft? Could a player like Hightower blow up and become the team’s first true number one receiver since Jeremy Maclin left town for Kansas City back in 2015? Will Quez Watkins even make the Eagles’ roster? Only time will tell, but it’s safe to say the 6-foot-tall, 185-pound wide receiver will fast become a quarterback like Carson Wentz’s best friend, as his ability to make big plays on quick passes could make any quarterback’s life a whole lot easier.