NGT: What happened to Sammy Watkins?

a ton... Last season was like his first season healthy.

is unlike any other level, that's why many players don't succeed up there. The split second of indecision or making the wrong read or cut makes a huge difference.

Was he playing through injury?

He may not have missed a lot of games, but he's had nagging injuries just about every season and was still good enough to get the above deal.

He's arguably a top 5 WR under 25 years old.

Happened to Kevin White?

The Bills in 2014 traded up from the eighth position in the draft with the Browns for the fourth position in the draft to get Watkins, leaving Odell Beckham on the board for the Giants. In exchange, the Bills gave the Browns their 2015 first and fourth round picks! Watkins has been average at best and can no doubt be considered a bust given where he was taken and what the Bill gave up to move up four spots...

In comment 13959503 JonC said:

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is unlike any other level, that's why many players don't succeed up there. The split second of indecision or making the wrong read or cut makes a huge difference.

Basically this. The NFL game is so much faster than college. In college, Watkins would outrun everyone. Now with nagging injuries since his rookie year and really never was a possession receiver type, what does he offer.
Decent routes, decent hands and good speed. These guys get washed away fast.

Teams have to account for both Kelce and Hill. Which will give Watkins an incredible opportunity in that offense.

In comment 13959518 the mike said:

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The Bills in 2014 traded up from the eighth position in the draft with the Browns for the fourth position in the draft to get Watkins, leaving Odell Beckham on the board for the Giants. In exchange, the Bills gave the Browns their 2015 first and fourth round picks! Watkins has been average at best and can no doubt be considered a bust given where he was taken and what the Bill gave up to move up four spots...

A bust? wow.

In comment 13959517 charlito said:

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Happened to Kevin White?

Sounds like he might be cut. Worth a look
Link - ( New Window )

Jerrel Jernigan? ;-)

In comment 13959523 NYG27 said:

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Teams have to account for both Kelce and Hill. Which will give Watkins an incredible opportunity in that offense.

Not to mention Hunt. Watkins will be option 3b at best and should have the space to make some plays downfield for the Chiefs.

Foot injuries are serious business. This is the same reason why Dez Bryant isn't the same guy anymore.

In comment 13959529 giants#1 said:

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In comment 13959523 NYG27 said: Quote: Teams have to account for both Kelce and Hill. Which will give Watkins an incredible opportunity in that offense. Not to mention Hunt. Watkins will be option 3b at best and should have the space to make some plays downfield for the Chiefs.

Maybe 4 with Kelce.

He is with Trent Richardson for me as far as disappointments. I thought both would be outstanding. Tho watkins is not a total loss like TR was.

In comment 13959539 chopperhatch said:

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In comment 13959529 giants#1 said: Quote: In comment 13959523 NYG27 said: Quote: Teams have to account for both Kelce and Hill. Which will give Watkins an incredible opportunity in that offense. Not to mention Hunt. Watkins will be option 3b at best and should have the space to make some plays downfield for the Chiefs. Maybe 4 with Kelce. He is with Trent Richardson for me as far as disappointments. I thought both would be outstanding. Tho watkins is not a total loss like TR was.

I rank Kelce as 1a or 1b:

1a. Kelce
1b. Hunt - keep them honest with running game
3a. Hill - explosive with the ball in his hands, but limited route runner
3b. Watson - downfield threat

I can see Watson getting more touches/targets than Hill in certain matchups.

Clemson team. Sometimes that makes it look like someone is a hell of a lot better then they actually are.

In comment 13959550 giants#1 said:

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In comment 13959539 chopperhatch said: Quote: In comment 13959529 giants#1 said: Quote: In comment 13959523 NYG27 said: Quote: Teams have to account for both Kelce and Hill. Which will give Watkins an incredible opportunity in that offense. Not to mention Hunt. Watkins will be option 3b at best and should have the space to make some plays downfield for the Chiefs. Maybe 4 with Kelce. He is with Trent Richardson for me as far as disappointments. I thought both would be outstanding. Tho watkins is not a total loss like TR was. I rank Kelce as 1a or 1b: 1a. Kelce 1b. Hunt - keep them honest with running game 3a. Hill - explosive with the ball in his hands, but limited route runner 3b. Watson - downfield threat I can see Watson getting more touches/targets than Hill in certain matchups.

Oh, I just go 1-4. Lol

My main point is that Kelce is the primary receiving weapon. Hill/Watson are the 2nd/3rd options in the passing game.

And obviously Hunt is going to get 20-25 touches/game as the primary back.

In comment 13959518 the mike said:

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The Bills in 2014 traded up from the eighth position in the draft with the Browns for the fourth position in the draft to get Watkins, leaving Odell Beckham on the board for the Giants. In exchange, the Bills gave the Browns their 2015 first and fourth round picks! Watkins has been average at best and can no doubt be considered a bust given where he was taken and what the Bill gave up to move up four spots...

And he's on his third team since being drafted four years ago. Quite the cost for less than 3 full years of playing time.

When healthy, Watkins has looked like a stud. Even when playing injured, he’s looked pretty good.

The concern is that the nagging injuries have caught up to him? Or will he ever return to form? Well, someone was willing to guarantee a good chunk of coin hoping it’s the latter.

When healthy, Watkins has looked like a stud. Even when playing injured, he’s looked pretty good.

The concern is that the nagging injuries have caught up to him. Or will he ever return to form? Well, someone was willing to guarantee a good chunk of coin hoping it’s the latter.

In comment 13959558 giants#1 said:

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My main point is that Kelce is the primary receiving weapon. Hill/Watson are the 2nd/3rd options in the passing game. And obviously Hunt is going to get 20-25 touches/game as the primary back.

Samsonite?

But I get it. A lot of where they are as options depends on the D. I was referring mostly to number of targets expected.

In comment 13959526 Gmen88 said:

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In comment 13959518 the mike said: Quote: The Bills in 2014 traded up from the eighth position in the draft with the Browns for the fourth position in the draft to get Watkins, leaving Odell Beckham on the board for the Giants. In exchange, the Bills gave the Browns their 2015 first and fourth round picks! Watkins has been average at best and can no doubt be considered a bust given where he was taken and what the Bill gave up to move up four spots... A bust? wow.

Based on what the Bills gave up. First, there may have been no reason to trade up as Watkins may have fell to them anyway. Second, if Watkins had been taken, they would have been forced to take Odell Beckham, which would have been a huge upgrade over Watkins. Third, their traded 2015 draft picks turned out to be the 19th pick (could have taken Landon Collins) AND the 115th pick (could have taken Jay Ajayi)...

Watkins has been a decent player in the NFL... But for what the Bills did to get him only to get an injury riddled three years characterized by lots of dropped passes, AND to have him then end up at a key AFC wild card rival, was a bust of epic proportions to the Bills...

In comment 13959619 the mike said:

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In comment 13959526 Gmen88 said: Quote: In comment 13959518 the mike said: Quote: The Bills in 2014 traded up from the eighth position in the draft with the Browns for the fourth position in the draft to get Watkins, leaving Odell Beckham on the board for the Giants. In exchange, the Bills gave the Browns their 2015 first and fourth round picks! Watkins has been average at best and can no doubt be considered a bust given where he was taken and what the Bill gave up to move up four spots... A bust? wow. Based on what the Bills gave up. First, there may have been no reason to trade up as Watkins may have fell to them anyway. Second, if Watkins had been taken, they would have been forced to take Odell Beckham, which would have been a huge upgrade over Watkins. Third, their traded 2015 draft picks turned out to be the 19th pick (could have taken Landon Collins) AND the 115th pick (could have taken Jay Ajayi)... Watkins has been a decent player in the NFL... But for what the Bills did to get him only to get an injury riddled three years characterized by lots of dropped passes, AND to have him then end up at a key AFC wild card rival, was a bust of epic proportions to the Bills...

If the guy's a decent NFL player then he's not a bust.

In comment 13959528 Victor in CT said:

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Jerrel Jernigan? ;-)

Come on. GMs never hit on 3rd rounders. In fact you can only get great WRs in Rd 1.

and also, he was the least pro ready of the 3 coming out. Evans had the physicality and size to win, and Odell had the route running ability and separation skills to impress right away. Watkins ran a ton of bubble screens and quick hitters at Clemson, and didn't really run a full route tree.

He is a good receiver, but the scouts really missed on him over Odell. Watkins is more of a straight line athlete, Odell is way better in and out of his breaks and way better with the ball in his hands. Odell is also wayyyy better at catching the ball away from his body and has better hands than Watkins in general.

has 25 career TD's in 4 years. That's an average of 6 per year.

Did he really get called a bust above??

Seriously?

2014: 16 games, 65/982/6
2015: 13, 60/1047/9
2016: 8, 28/430/2
2017: 14, 39/593/8

Played in 1 playoff game (last year with LAR), 1 catch for 23 yards.

Watkins was only a bust in that he had trouble staying healthy and had a pretty serious foot injury.

He was very good before that.

Also keep in mind that his QB situation in Buffalo always sucked.

And yet the bills would not think twice if they could go back in time and undo that trade and selection. First, they wouldn’t trade up and second they’d be glad to close their eyes and blindly pick anyone other than Watkins. He’s looked like a “stud” for about one month. Woopdy damm doooo...

Watkins gets 3yr/48M/30M guaranteed.....

Any wonder OBj is asking for the moon.....

A bust for a top pick

In comment 13959731 FatMan in Charlotte said:

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has 25 career TD's in 4 years. That's an average of 6 per year. Did he really get called a bust above?? Seriously?

He's also 24 years old and as long as the injuries haven't taken a significant toll, has a long career ahead of him. Calling him a bust is absolutely ridiculous.

In comment 13959619 the mike said:

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In comment 13959526 Gmen88 said: Quote: In comment 13959518 the mike said: Quote: The Bills in 2014 traded up from the eighth position in the draft with the Browns for the fourth position in the draft to get Watkins, leaving Odell Beckham on the board for the Giants. In exchange, the Bills gave the Browns their 2015 first and fourth round picks! Watkins has been average at best and can no doubt be considered a bust given where he was taken and what the Bill gave up to move up four spots... A bust? wow. Based on what the Bills gave up. First, there may have been no reason to trade up as Watkins may have fell to them anyway. Second, if Watkins had been taken, they would have been forced to take Odell Beckham, which would have been a huge upgrade over Watkins. Third, their traded 2015 draft picks turned out to be the 19th pick (could have taken Landon Collins) AND the 115th pick (could have taken Jay Ajayi)... Watkins has been a decent player in the NFL... But for what the Bills did to get him only to get an injury riddled three years characterized by lots of dropped passes, AND to have him then end up at a key AFC wild card rival, was a bust of epic proportions to the Bills...

1. They wouldn't have been forced to do anything- that's not how the draft works. Who knows who they would've taken had they stayed put.

2. Hindsight is 20/20- clearly the league didn't value Landon Collins at that level as he fell to the 2nd round (luckily for us)

3. You also forgot to mention that they received E.J. Gaines (who played very well last year) and a second round pick after trading him. (Which was used to trade up for Rashaan Evans)

4. And most importantly...The guy is 24 years old.

Bust talk is absurd

In comment 13960323 Gmen88 said:

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In comment 13959619 the mike said: Quote: In comment 13959526 Gmen88 said: Quote: In comment 13959518 the mike said: Quote: The Bills in 2014 traded up from the eighth position in the draft with the Browns for the fourth position in the draft to get Watkins, leaving Odell Beckham on the board for the Giants. In exchange, the Bills gave the Browns their 2015 first and fourth round picks! Watkins has been average at best and can no doubt be considered a bust given where he was taken and what the Bill gave up to move up four spots... A bust? wow. Based on what the Bills gave up. First, there may have been no reason to trade up as Watkins may have fell to them anyway. Second, if Watkins had been taken, they would have been forced to take Odell Beckham, which would have been a huge upgrade over Watkins. Third, their traded 2015 draft picks turned out to be the 19th pick (could have taken Landon Collins) AND the 115th pick (could have taken Jay Ajayi)... Watkins has been a decent player in the NFL... But for what the Bills did to get him only to get an injury riddled three years characterized by lots of dropped passes, AND to have him then end up at a key AFC wild card rival, was a bust of epic proportions to the Bills... 1. They wouldn't have been forced to do anything- that's not how the draft works. Who knows who they would've taken had they stayed put. 2. Hindsight is 20/20- clearly the league didn't value Landon Collins at that level as he fell to the 2nd round (luckily for us) 3. You also forgot to mention that they received E.J. Gaines (who played very well last year) and a second round pick after trading him. (Which was used to trade up for Rashaan Evans) 4. And most importantly...The guy is 24 years old. Bust talk is absurd

Ask Doug Whaley, former GM of the Bills, his thoughts on Watkins... You're right - bust probably is an absurd way to describe Watkin's impact on the Bills. Abomination is probably more suitable...

When he was healthy and playing with no QB in BUF he was one of the toughest covers in the league.

Last year, the Rams spread the ball around and seemed to use him as a deep threat to throw underneath to guys like Woods. He still had 8 TDs.

In KC, I think he'll see more action over the other FA WR Robinson. I would bet on a big year from Watkins.

Excellent player.

And then they traded him for a very good CB and a 2018 2nd.

You want more from the high pick but not a bust. Its far from over for Watkins. He can still move and get open on anybody,

In comment 13961005 KWALL2 said:

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Excellent player. And then they traded him for a very good CB and a 2018 2nd. You want more from the high pick but not a bust. Its far from over for Watkins. He can still move and get open on anybody,

you're right. the bust was EJ Manuel. Exhibit A of why you shouldn't reach on a QB