2014 NFL Draft: Pre-Season Breakdown – Sammy Watkins, WR Clemson

Nov 10, 2012; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Sammy Watkins (2) carries the ball during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Sammy Watkins has been a sensation at wide receiver for Clemson since the first game as a true freshman when he caught 7 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown against Troy.  He went on to be a superstar in his first year of college catching 83 passes for 1,225 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Combining his kick return and rushing yards, Watkins totaled 2,294 yards, 14 touchdowns and averaging an impressive 15.29 yards per touch.  Watkins was expecting to have similar results in his second year, but an arrest for drug possession that resulted in a 2-game suspension started what ultimately ended up being a sophomore slump as with far less production than he expected and his season ended with an ankle injury that took him out of the bowl game on the first offensive play of the game against LSU.

Entering his junior year, Watkins comes in with renewed focus hoping to move on from the mistakes of the past and working harder this season after coming to the realization that he did not produce as much as he wanted as a sophomore because he did not work hard enough in practice; he did not push himself enough.  Watkins has game changing ability as an athlete and a runner after the catch, but he needs to continue refining his game for the position of wide receiver, especially when it comes to route running and locating the football.  As it stands, he is a guy who is likely to go in or around the top 50 picks, but if he can improve at some of the technical areas of the position, he can secure a spot in the first round and go earlier than his teammate, DeAndre Hopkins did last year, if he opts to declare.

Vitals & Build

Watkins is listed at 6’1” 200lbs with a good build and impressive strength along with acceleration, speed, and fluidity.  He has the potential to keeping adding strength and being broader which will only help him box out opponents when he goes for catches and really benefit him after the catch because of his powerful running style.  Watkins is the next in the line of Clemson players who look like they are right off of the track team with their speed in the Tigers’ offense.

Route Running & Technique

Watkins’ technique and route running is somewhat of a work in progress as in certain areas, but does a great job and in others but can continue refining them.  As a route runner, Watkins needs to continue working to get more precise in his cuts and reduce the number of steps he needs to run routes.  He has great feet and can keep opponents off balance, but does not always go cleanly in and out of his cuts.  This can be a result of him trying to rush them too much and not trusting the route enough.  The other potential problem here is that Watkins does not really run that much of a route tree.  With the amount of bubble screens and adjusted routes to get the ball in his hands combined with his athleticism makes it easier for him to cheat on routes and get away with it.  When he is not running a bubble screen, often times he is running a 9 route to beat the defense over the top.  He will run slants, drags, and comebacks, but needs to do continue running these routes and continue to work on perfecting them and emulate Hopkins, who was an excellent route runner at Clemson last year.  If Watkins commits to it and gets to be a good route runner, he could be incredibly difficult for cornerbacks to stay with him in coverage enabling him to create even more separation than he already does.

A few of the subtle areas where Watkins excels include his stance, mixing up how he runs routes, and how he boxes out opponents with his body on passes going down the field.  Watkins has a good stance that has him balanced and low to the ground, so he comes out smoothly with only a slight bounce as most of his motion is going forward.  He runs a lot of 9 routes but he will use his feet and quickness to use fakes and sell false routes to get defensive backs off balance and create some wide open opportunities.  He is a guy who likes to run out and jab his feet in place like he is going to turn around and come back to the ball before continuing to go deep and since many defenders play off of him, when he can get them even with him, he will beat them going deep.  Watkins also does a tremendous job of putting his body between the ball and the defender.  Not only does this make it so the defender has a more difficult time to get their arms in to deflect or intercept passes but when he slows down to adjust to the ball, defenders will inadvertently run him over drawing a pass interference call.

Hands

Watkins has pretty good hands that appear to be strong with the ability to snatch the ball cleanly out of the air and he just needs to continue to work on doing it.  When he is right, he and his quarterback are on the same page, and the throw is there, he will catch the ball smoothly and easily with the ability to go get more yards after the catch.  There are times when Watkins will scoop the ball into his body and secure the catch with his body, but he seems to be getting more comfortable catching the ball with his hands as he gets more experience.  He will occasionally drop balls that he should not but these are usually passes where he is in traffic or having a difficult time figuring out to adjust to a pass.

Especially when it comes to catching bubble screen, but he also flashes it on digs and comeback type routes, Watkins does a good job of setting up his body and especially his feet to run after he secures the catch.  This gives him a huge advantage when it comes to making the transition to a ball carrier after the catch and makes him look much faster and quicker.  To this point, he does not seem to have been a victim of dropping passes due to a lack of concentration or trying to run before he secures the catch.

Watkins needs to continue working on tracking the ball, especially when it goes deep, because there have been example where he loses it in the air or is unable to adjust to the ball properly.  When Watkins is able to find the ball, he is a threat to go up and make a big catch because he does have strong hands.  Along with this, he needs to do his part and play the role of a defensive back when he is unable to make a play to make sure the defender cannot catch it either.  Not only is this important when it comes to protecting the possession and the football but a quarterback is more likely to give the receiver opportunities to make plays on 50/50 balls when he trusts that his guy will do everything he can to make sure the defender does not come away with it.

Run After Catch

This is where Watkins is special.  When he gets the ball in his hands, he is aggressive and runs like a running back.  Watkins is an aggressive north-south style runner that can weave in and out of blocks but usually is always advancing the ball as opposed to wasting time going east-west.  He will use a stiff arm to keep opponents at bay as well as being willing to drop his shoulder and go down falling forward.  He does a great job of using blocks by teammates, shows good vision as a ball carrier, and will usually employ more subtle cuts that allow him to maintain his stride and continue progressing down the field making it easier to regain his top speed, which is more than enough to take it to the house when he is in the open field.   His north-south running style makes him look that much faster.  He is an extremely dangerous runner, which is why the Clemson offense has done anything they can to get the ball in his hands from throwing bubble screens to simply handing him the ball on end arounds from the slot.  The end arounds are not terribly effective as he is going east and west which is where he clearly at his most vulnerable, but when he is able to get his shoulders square to the line and cut up the field early, they can gain yards.  He is far better when he is able to lean his body forward and use his strength and leverage to push forward to break tackles.  His effective transition from pass catcher to run after the catch combined with his acceleration make him a threat anytime he catches the ball.

Blocking

Watkins never looks all that comfortable as a blocker.  He goes out to execute his assignment and then it is as if he has a spastic reaction when he is supposed to throw a block and gets caught in between what he wants to do.  For the most part, he does fine in terms of getting in position to be between the defender and the ball carrier, but then he runs into problems.  It is almost as if he is trying to fake out his opponent with his choice rather than just doing it, so he will mirror him a little bit and then dive at his legs or he will launch himself and be off balance.  The most comfortable he ever looks is when he is going for a crack back block and he only has one thing he needs to do and he does and does it.  It is not always cleanly landed but at least that defender is not going to make a play.  Watkins would be better off just working on stock blocking and not worry about the rest of it.  Get in the way, mirror the guy and attack him and try to push him off the field.  It does not get any simpler than that and Watkins is more than strong enough to do it.

Special Teams

Watkins has plenty of experience returning kickoffs and on the off chance that an NFL kicker does not put it out the back of the end zone, his athleticism and ability to run in the open field is certainly worth keeping back there.  His speed, vision, and physical running style make him a threat to make big returns.  He has far less experience as a punt returner with only five returns in his first two years.  If he can add this to repertoire, he can really be a dangerous player back there because he can work in small areas, can make guys miss, and when he sees a lane, he can exploit it possessing the speed to take it all the way.  Watkins is a big enough return threat that could certainly cause opponents to kick away from him to avoid the threat and potentially give his team better field position.

System Fit

Watkins is a guy who can play in any system, but he really excels in a West Coast System because of his ability to catch passes like slants and digs and create yards after the catch.  While he is a deep threat, he occasionally has issues tracking the ball and he is so dangerous with the ball in his hands, just get it to him as soon as possible and let him run.  The more creative the play caller, the better as he can make plays on screens, out wide or in the slot.  Perhaps the best fit for a player like Watkins is in Philadelphia in Chip Kelly’s up tempo, West Coast hybrid he is putting together, but teams like Green Bay and the New York Jets would work as well.  The other type of scheme that stands out is what the Saints run with their sets of having a number of different players attack in space while Drew Brees finds the open man and as a result, he would also fit in Buffalo and St. Louis as they put together similar style offenses.

Schedule

Notable Games

Right off the bat, the first game of the season at home against Georgia is a huge opportunity for Watkins not only to prove he is healthy, but that he meant what he said about bouncing back in a big way this year and working harder.  A big game could really remind people why they loved him so much as a freshman and help him make a big splash on the landscape of the draft.  The next big game is against Florida State as that could be a game that ultimately decides who will represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game.  It will be interesting to see how the Seminoles use safety LaMarcus Joyner to help in coverage on Watkins.  Perhaps an under the radar matchup would be against Wake Forest as it could see A.J. Marshall come help in coverage against Watkins.  Lastly, the final game of the regular season against South Carolina is always a huge matchup but both teams appear to be in good shape to players in the postseason so while it is not a conference game, there is plenty on the line.

NFL Comparison

If Watkins can make some minor adjustments to his technique and route running, his game could end up resembling current Buffalo Bill Stevie Johnson.  The former Kentucky Wildcat has similar size and the ability to make plays after the catch, proving to be a difficult matchup for even the best corners in the NFL.  Watkins has more athletic ability and potential than Johnson, but that is the type of threat he could be at the next level.

Draft Projection

If Watkins lives up to his word about his renewed focus and effort this year, he could put himself in position to be one of the top offensive threats in the upcoming draft.  Assuming he has a great year, it seems likely he will opt to declare as Tajh Boyd is in his last year and if Watkins is going to adjust to a new quarterback, it might as well be in the NFL.  Watkins has incredible athleticism and the ability to be a playmaker whether it is as a receiver, being handed the ball, or on returns and always represents a threat to score.  He seems like a safe bet to go in the top 50 right now, but he could certainly secure a spot in the first round if he can continue to develop and improve as at his position before the draft rolls around next year.