THE WATKINS FILE
Two-time First-team All-Conference USA, 2018, 2019
Sixth-round pick, No. 200 overall, NFL Draft, 2018
By Lenn Robbins
Quez Watkins was not Mr. Irrelevant in the 2019 NFL Draft. He might have shared the title of Mr. Longshot with about 200 other draftees. But Watkins, who already has beaten the odds, finds himself in a great spot going into his third season with the Eagles.
Philadelphia used a sixth-round pick (No.200 overall) on the wide receiver from Southern Mississippi. He played in just seven games and made six catches as a rookie. But last season he showed he has a place in the NFL, catching 43 passes for 647 yards (an impressive 15-yards per receptions) and one touchdown.
This season he might be Mr. Overlooked. The Eagles traded for Pro-Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown and last year’s No.1 pick, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, is poised for a big season. It would be understandable if Watkins gets overlooked by opposing defenses.
"I think Quez Watkins is going to end up being one of the best number three receivers in the league," former NFL offensive lineman and current Eagles' preseason TV analyst Ross Tucker told reporters.
Watkins is somewhat accustomed to being overlooked. He grew up in Athens, Alabama but didn’t receive any scholarship offers from SEC schools. He played at Southern Mississippi and the Eagles took a flier on him.
He might not have been the last player taken in the draft but he certainly might have been overlooked. This is the season for Watkins to use that to his advantage.