Sammy Watkins - unanimous #1?

[acclizal]

my team is stacked at WR (team in sig)... and i will probably be making a move to acquire the 1.1 to go and get him.... but i may also be man crushing

[kmbryant09]

The best comparison I have heard was "a stronger, more polished Cordarelle Patterson".

In a start up draft where are you guys comfortable taking him? Ahead of guys like Floyd,Patterson,Blackmon,Cruz?

Cruz
Watkins
Patterson

Floyd

Blackmon

I think Cruz/Watkins/Patterson are pretty interchangeable.

[aaroneous]

As much as I hate doing this (comparing the best to ever play the position to a prospect) I will. Rice was not bigger than Watkins. If anything they are almost exactly the same. Rice again was 6'1.5 and 200 lbs entering the NFL out of Mississippi valley state (Div- 1AA) while Watkins is currently 6'1 205 lbs. Rice obviously isn't the norm and I feel silly comparing the two to be honest. But he did run a 4.7 something 40. Watkins is much faster than that, close to the same size if not the same size, is also a great hands catcher, plays in an era where the passing game is much more leaned on, but he isn't near the route runner / and may never be that Rice was. To say that Watkins hasn't been an exemplary prospect through his college career I believe is flat our wrong as he's been on the radar for a few years now. Also, if Watkins is great at high pointing the ball and plucking it in the NCAA - that certainly is a skill that translates quite well. That skill is based on instinct, timing, hands, aggressiveness and tenacity - all of which translate. He may not enter the NFL and be the best wr in the league but he certainly will be a very successful / heavily involved play maker. Because of this - it is my opinion that Watkins will be a low end wr1 fairly quickly into his NFL career. Of course some of that depends on where he goes

I have yet to read a source that actually thinks Watkins is his listed height and weight, and even if he is, 1/2 inch is a 1/2 inch.

"but he isn't near the route runner/and may never be that Rice was" says plenty right there. Almost everyone acknowledges Rice's best two on the field attributes were his route running and his hands. If you are already willing to acknowledge that Watkins is nowhere near there, I think you're already pointing out why highlighting Rice's size to show a path for Watkins' success is focusing too much on one similarity.

Yep, a lot of those parts of high pointing the ball in the NCAA translate. Dealing with cornerbacks that are a bit taller than they were in the NCAA makes it a little more difficult.

Again, it looks like we don't differ very much in his evaluation. I just think there's a major difference in those individuals that think Watkins' size is preventing him from being the next top of the line WR and being a "very productive WR".

I'm also curious where you think he fits in that low end WR1 range and what you mean by fairly quickly. We've got a lot of young WR taken up real estate in that value range.

[Jfever]

Yep, a lot of those parts of high pointing the ball in the NCAA translate. Dealing with cornerbacks that are a bit taller than they were in the NCAA makes it a little more difficult.

Again, it looks like we don't differ very much in his evaluation. I just think there's a major difference in those individuals that think Watkins' size is preventing him from being the next top of the line WR and being a "very productive WR".

I'm also curious where you think he fits in that low end WR1 range and what you mean by fairly quickly. We've got a lot of young WR taken up real estate in that value range.

I agree, I think we do agree more so than not. I also agree that there are a lot of young wr that are taking up real estate in the value range of low wr1 / high wr2. To me though, from what I've seen - Watkins is a more talented athlete all around than Blackmon, Floyd, C.Givens, Alshon, T.Austin, Hopkins, K.Allen, S.Bailey, Wheaton, J.Hunter etc. So to me again - I think he rises up into the top 12 or so fantasy producing wr quite quickly if he goes to the right situation. I hate depending on rookie wr and I do realize that it isn't a guarantee that he is an immediate success - but his talent to me puts him as one of the more likely rookies to get there.

[DallasN1213]

Yep, a lot of those parts of high pointing the ball in the NCAA translate. Dealing with cornerbacks that are a bit taller than they were in the NCAA makes it a little more difficult.

Again, it looks like we don't differ very much in his evaluation. I just think there's a major difference in those individuals that think Watkins' size is preventing him from being the next top of the line WR and being a "very productive WR".

I'm also curious where you think he fits in that low end WR1 range and what you mean by fairly quickly. We've got a lot of young WR taken up real estate in that value range.

I agree, I think we do agree more so than not. I also agree that there are a lot of young wr that are taking up real estate in the value range of low wr1 / high wr2. To me though, from what I've seen - Watkins is a more talented athlete all around than Blackmon, Floyd, C.Givens, Alshon, T.Austin, Hopkins, K.Allen, S.Bailey, Wheaton, J.Hunter etc. So to me again - I think he rises up into the top 12 or so fantasy producing wr quite quickly if he goes to the right situation. I hate depending on rookie wr and I do realize that it isn't a guarantee that he is an immediate success - but his talent to me puts him as one of the more likely rookies to get there.

That's a random list. Givens? Bailey? Wheaton? I miss something?

[Jfever]

lol. yeah it was. Just after school got out. I was in the process of leaving my classroom, had my own three kids standing there waiting for me as well as a student that needed my keys to get into another classroom. Was just distracted. Point was - I think Watkins is at the top of the list as far as talent is concerned when compared to every other wr drafted over the past 3 ish years besides Julio and AJG. I'd put him right next to Cobb and at worst - right below Dez and DT. I guess that was the point I was trying to make. Sorry about the randomness.

[DallasN1213]

So over Gordon and Alshon?

[Jfever]

Forgot Gordon as he wasn't drafted. Wasn't thinking about supplemental draft. I'd put Watkins behind Gordon now yes. As rookies entering the NFL - No - I'd put Watkins far above Gordon. I do think Watkins as a prospect is much more talented all around than Alshon and is more pro ready as a rookie it seems. I do like Alshon, a lot, but he isn't near the all around player that I think Watkins may be. They are two very different styles of wr imo though. S. Watkins is quicker, faster, has better ups, is more electric, seems to be able to score from anywhere on field at any time, better at yac. Alshon is bigger and taller, has similarly very good hands, and also high points the ball exceptionally well and is a much better red zone target. At this point - knowing what we know now - yes - Alshon is worth more and I wouldn't trade Alshon for the 1.01 straight up based on what we KNOW now. I also wouldn't trade Gordon for the 1.01 (Watkins) right now but I am 100% sure that had Watkins been in the same draft class as either of Gordon or Alshon - that Watkins gets taken ahead of them 99.9% of the time. Simply put - At the time Alshon was a rookie coming out of S.Carolina with the concerns of laziness and weight gain and lack of work ethic - thinking about what we knew then - Watkins is the better talent coming out so yes Watkins . There was zero talk about Alshon as a top 2-3 pick 2 years ago - let alone the 1.01, just as there was zero talk about Gordon in the NFL draft as he wasn't part of it.

Basically - all in all - I think Watkins will be a near unanimous 1.01 and will likely not be a bust. I'm pretty jacked up to be able to draft Sammy Watkins and am exceptionally happy that he will close out and wrap up the deal that I made before last season which involved me moving Calvin and D.williams for the 1.02,1.03,1.04,2.01,2014 (1.01), J.Nelson, and Emanual Sanders. Things turned out good with that move.

[RossOfTheYear]

Calvin and D.williams for the 1.02,1.03,1.04,2.01,2014 (1.01), J.Nelson, and Emanual Sanders. Things turned out good with that move.

Curious, what did they turn into?

[Jfever]

So many moves since then its tough to remember exactly. It was involving 2nd team in sig. I felt I made too many mistakes in our start up so I used the huge deal involving Calvin to attempt a very quick rebuild. I was a 3rd place finishing team after first year, missed the playoffs by a very narrow margin this year with julio on my IR, but now imo, things are looking up.

For that Calvin deal it basically shook down something like this - Calvin and D.Williams for Gio, Ball, J.Stewart, K.Allen, R.Woods, J.Nelson,E.Sanders,and now S.Watkins. There were a couple minor moves mixed in with 3rd and 4th parties involving other players and picks but you can see my roster to get an idea how it all shook out. Quite the haul imo and an offer I just couldn't say no to. I know some say some guys are untradeable and others say its a bad trade if your giving away the best player in the deal, but this one was different imo. I had Julio along with Calvin at the time and was ok building around him while selling off my most valuable asset.

Vereen is now there as I moved J.Nelson for Vereen and two late picks in order to add decent rb depth. (its a ppr league).

[aaroneous]

I agree, I think we do agree more so than not. I also agree that there are a lot of young wr that are taking up real estate in the value range of low wr1 / high wr2. To me though, from what I've seen - Watkins is a more talented athlete all around than Blackmon, Floyd, C.Givens, Alshon, T.Austin, Hopkins, K.Allen, S.Bailey, Wheaton, J.Hunter etc. So to me again - I think he rises up into the top 12 or so fantasy producing wr quite quickly if he goes to the right situation. I hate depending on rookie wr and I do realize that it isn't a guarantee that he is an immediate success - but his talent to me puts him as one of the more likely rookies to get there.

I guess that's fair. I think I'd agree that he is more athletic than all of them. The only ones I'd really probably prefer to have on my team at this point are Floyd and Alshon because of their displayed ability to succeed. I'd also put Blackmon there, but I'd rather take the chance on Watkins than Blackmon keeping sober. I stick by my willingness to draft him around round 4 although I see the argument in drafting him round 3 of a startup. I do also agree that I think he's likely to find success, something I don't think is nearly as certain for Austin, Givens, Bailey, Wheaton, Hunter. I just don't know that he's going to be a guy that when he's all said and dont you can realistically expect to dominate games on his own. I hope he does though!

[Westy22]

As an owner with the 1.01 I was stoked when Watkins played so well in his bowl game as he does seem like an NFL player, playing at a different speed. I do wonder though if his technique is up to scratch with a small array of routes used frequently (screen/go). If he lands in a bad situation I think people will sour on him fast...I can't say I like many situations at the top of the draft. Would be great to see a team go Watkins R1 and QB early R2 or even trade up into R1 for a big time QB/WR combo on a lesser team (similar to AJG and Dalton).

I don't know if I would take Watkins in R3 of a startup...