Todd Watkins
| No. 19 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Brigham Young | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2006 / Round: 7 / Pick: 218 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
| Player stats at NFL.com | |||||
Todd Watkins (born June 22, 1983) is a former
He has also been a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, and New York Giants.
Early years
Watkins was a multi-sport star at Helix High School in La Mesa, California.[1] He lettered in football, volleyball, soccer, and track; he was the first athlete in 25 years to accomplish that feat at Helix High. As a football player, he earned all-county honors during his junior and senior seasons. His teammates included current NFL starters Reggie Bush and Alex Smith; the team won the 2000 San Diego Section Division II CIF Football championship.
College career
Junior college
Watkins enrolled at Norfolk State but redshirted during the 2001 season. He transferred to Grossmont (California) Junior College and played in ten games during the 2002 season. As a wide receiver, he finished the season with 11 receptions for 299 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, his greatest contributions to the team came as a placekicker: he made 10 of 11 field goals and 46 of 49 PAT kicks.
In his second season at Grossmont, Watkins elevated his performance as a receiver. He caught 40 passes for 915 yards and 8 touchdowns, leading the Griffins to a 13-1 record and the Foothill Valley Conference championship. At placekicker, he made 12 of 15 field goals and 50 of 51 PAT kicks. He totaled 134 points (combined receiving and kicking)- the highest total in the conference. He was named Region III Offensive Player of the Year for 2003 and received First Team
BYU
Watkins transferred to Brigham Young University in 2004 and immediately earned a starting position at wide receiver. BYU opened up the 2004 season against Notre Dame, and Watkins made an instant impact. His first reception as a Cougar was a spectacular 50-yard catch against double coverage; the play set up a touchdown on BYU’s first possession of the game. Late in the fourth quarter of that game, Watkins made a spectacular 37-yard reception (despite pass interference by the defense); the catch secured a crucial first down for BYU and sealed the Cougars’ 20-17 victory over the Irish.
Watkins gained national media attention with a career best performance against
For the season, Watkins totaled 52 receptions for 1,042 yards and 6 touchdowns. He averaged 94.7 receiving yards per game, a
Expectations were high for Watkins as he entered his senior season at BYU. However, with a new head coach (
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
After finishing his college career, Watkins pursued a career in professional football. For many NFL teams, he was an intriguing prospect. He possessed the physical tools needed to have success in the pros: great size (6-foot-3) and strength (325-pound bench press) combined with terrific speed (4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash). He also showed an ability to out-leap defenders and make difficult catches. However, during his senior season, Watkins had dropped several wide-open passes and fumbled the ball a few times during important games. His stock declined sharply before the
Atlanta Falcons
In September 2007, he was added to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad after being cut by the Arizona Cardinals following week 4 of preseason.
Oakland Raiders
In the 2008 off-season, the Oakland Raiders claimed him off waivers. Watkins was released in September 2010.
New York Giants
On January 6, 2011 Watkins signed a reserve/future with the New York Giants. He was waived on September 2.
After NFL
Currently working in Job Corps Program on the Island of Maui. He is the Student Personnel Officer(SPO) for the Maui Job Corps Satellite Center.
References
- ^ "Scouting the Raiders". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on November 14, 2009.
- ^ "2006 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.