http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2006/watkins_todd
SUMMARY
Watkins has the tools to be an impact starting receiver in the NFL, but too often he is an inconsistent receiver who struggles to consistently catch the ball. While he has shown the good hands to make tough catches when he stays focused, he does not have natural receiver hands and this causes him to fight passes he should catch easily. He is a tall, good looking receiver on the "Hoof" with the playing strength to keep his feet vs. hard hits and break tackles, but he does not consistently gain yards after contact. He is often somewhat non-chalant running his routes and does not consistently run aggressively after the catch. He is a receiver with all the physical tools to become a good starting receiver in the NFL if he can improve his consistency catching the ball and play aggressively on every snap. However, teams need to be careful not to over-draft him because, while he has talent, he has not been a consistently productive receiver at Brigham Young and he will struggle to become the receiver he is capable of and will be a backup receiver who flashes big-play ability when he plays, but never consistently produces when forced into the starting lineup.
CRITICAL FACTORS
Size Athletic Ability Hands Competes Play Speed Instincts
6.5 6.5 6.0 5.5 6.0 5.5
STRONG POINTS
Watkins is a very good natural athlete with the quick acceleration and playing speed to stretch the field and get separation deep. He has the hands to reach out and pluck the ball to make tough catches when he stays focused. When he runs aggressively, he has the size and strength to keep his feet vs. hard hits and can break tackles and gain yards after contact. He has shown the ability to run routes with his knees bent so that he can run sharp routes and can burst out of cuts. More than anything, his combination of size, strength, athleticism and speed is extremely hard to find.
WEAKNESSES
Watkins is a very raw and undisciplined receiver who tends to run upright routes and he struggles to run sharp routes consistently because of it. Despite being a naturally explosive athlete, he does not burst off the ball into his route quickly -- he does not sense/anticipate the snap and is often a beat late moving at the snap. He does not use his hands well to defeat the jam and does not show the side-to-side agility to avoid it well. He does not run aggressively after the catch and gets tripped up and tackled too easily. He loses his focus way too often and it leads to him dropping too many passes.
POSITIONAL FACTORS
Grade Category Comments/Description
6.0 Hands He has good natural hands and can adjust and make great catches when he stays focused on ball.
5.5 Initial Quickness He does not sense the snap consistently which limits his ability to explode off the ball into his route.
5.5 Clean Release Despite natural explosiveness, he does not consistently burst off the ball into his route.
5.0 Release vs. Jam He lacks the side-to-side quickness to avoid the jam and doesn't use his strength to fight through the jam aggressively.
5.5 Patterns When he bends knees in routes, he runs sharp routes and bursts out of cuts, but he is not consistent.
5.5 Adjusts to Ball He has the ability to be very good adjusting and making great catches, but a lack of concentration leads to drops.
5.5 Run after Catch He has the speed to make big plays in the open field, but does not consistently break tackles and gain yards after contact.
6.5 Deep Threat He does not run consistently sharp routes, but has the explosive playing speed to get separation deep.
6.5 Hand/Eye Coordination He has the natural hand/eye coordination to adjust and make great catches when he is focused.
5.5 Blocking He has shown the ability to be a good blocker, but does not consistently block competitively or aggressively.
N/A Return Ability He lacks the aggressiveness running with the ball to be good.
5.5 Fumbles/Error Not a fumbler, but his biggest error is an inability to maintain his focus/concentration on every snap.
ATHLETIC ABILITY Section Grade: 6.5
Watkins is a very good athlete who has not consistently played like one, which has hindered his ability to be a consistently productive receiver. He has very quick feet which gives him the ability to accelerate to full speed fast and, once he gets to full speed, he has the playing speed to stretch the field deep and can separate from cornerbacks easily. Once he is running, he has shown the agility to change directions quickly to get out of cuts quickly, but he struggles to change directions quickly at the snap to avoid the jam and get off the ball quickly. He is a bit upright running his routes, and when he does not bend his knees and sink his hips in route, he struggles to consistently run sharp/crisp routes. He has the hands and coordination to adjust and make great catches on off-target passes. He has all the natural athletic ability to be an impact/big-play receiver, but he does not play with bent knees and leverage consistently, and it hinders his ability to run routes well, he can't get out of cuts consistently fast, and he struggles to adjust and make tough catches every time.
Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination
6.5 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.5
COMPETITIVENESS Section Grade: 5.5
Watkins does not consistently play with the aggressiveness or tough attitude that you want from a receiver -- he does not run highly competitive routes and does not run aggressively with the ball after every catch. He has shown the ability to make the big play when he plays aggressively and maintains his focus/concentration -- he can really stretch the field deep, gets separation easily and can make tremendous catches down the field. His overall production ranges from excellent to bad and it is all dependent on his level of aggressiveness and consistency. He is not a natural receiver and drops too many passes that he should catch because he loses his focus too often. He is a team player who plays hard, but he needs to play more aggressively and consistently on every snap in order to take advantage of his physical skills at the next level.
Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit
5.5 5.5 5.5 5.0 6.0 6.0
MENTAL ALERTNESS Section Grade: 5.0
Watkins is a smart young man who can learn football well, but it's a concern that he has does not use his hands well to defeat the jam, runs sloppy routes at times and does not use his body well to shield/cut-off defensive backs from the ball. He has good instincts runing with the ball after the catch and can react quickly to avoid tacklers in space, but he does not react quickly to the snap and is usually adequate in his get-off. He seems to struggle to maintain his focus/concentration on every play which causes him to drop too many passes and to struggle to consistently get open in routes.
Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration
5.5 5.5 5.0
STRENGTH/EXPLOSION Section Grade: 6.0
Watkins has very good size for a receiver at nearly 6-2 and over 200 pounds. His size, natural strength and athleticism will help him to be a durable NFL receiver as long as he plays with good intensity on every snap. He is a very explosive natural athlete, but does not show it on the field consistently -- he is not explosive off the ball and is not consistently explosive out of cuts to get separation, but does have the explosive burst to get separation deep down the field easily. He has the natural strength to break tackles and gain yards after contact, but he does not run aggressively after every catch and struggles to consistently gain yards after contact.
Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength
6.5 6.0 5.5 5.5
