Could Pat Watkins set the bar?

[Bleed Blue]

Early returns are positive on Pat Watkins being a great pick for the Cowboys, but it's still early. If he can become a good player for Dallas will he influence a copy cat league to follow suite? At 6-5 211lbs he almost looks a little awkward back there. With the WRs getting taller and stronger he would be a proto type if this project works. The fact that he was still around in the 5th round of this years draft goes without saying the rest of the league is not convinced. I sure hope he proves them wrong. What do you think?

[Bob Sacamano]

I think you are correct, the NFL is a copy-cat league, so if Watkins turns out to be a tremendous fit in deep-coverage because of his height, and picks off alot of balls, and makes it nearly impossible to score a TD in the redzone by throwing his way, I'm sure a couple teams will latch onto the idea, but therein lies the problems...we dont' know yet what we have in Watkins, he could be just a tall FS

[Crown Royal]

Good luck copycatting a 6'5" athlete with sub 4.5 speed who is smart and athletic and light enough to play in so much space.

[Bob Sacamano]

Good luck copycatting a 6'5" athlete with sub 4.5 speed who is smart and athletic and light enough to play in so much space.

oh, good point, yeah, that might prove too difficult

[Bleed Blue]

Good luck copycatting a 6'5" athlete with sub 4.5 speed who is smart and athletic and light enough to play in so much space. So why wasn't this freak of nature taken in say the 2nd or 3rd round?

[Bob Sacamano]

So why wasn't this freak of nature taken in say the 2nd or 3rd round?

it's asking why Tom Brady wasn't the #1 overall pick? there's something some teams didn't like about him

[AdamJT13]

So why wasn't this freak of nature taken in say the 2nd or 3rd round?

Because he's too tall.

[wileedog]

Good luck copycatting a 6'5" athlete with sub 4.5 speed who is smart and athletic and light enough to play in so much space.

I think those guys are usually called "point guards" in the NBA.

[superpunk]

So why wasn't this freak of nature taken in say the 2nd or 3rd round?

Height-prejudice.

I don't know. Ask kartr.

[Crown Royal]

And because he still has questions about him.

Let's not annoint Watkins as the next coming of Lott yet.

[Doomsday101]

Early returns are positive on Pat Watkins being a great pick for the Cowboys, but it's still early. If he can become a good player for Dallas will he influence a copy cat league to follow suite? At 6-5 211lbs he almost looks a little awkward back there. With the WRs getting taller and stronger he would be a proto type if this project works. The fact that he was still around in the 5th round of this years draft goes without saying the rest of the league is not convinced. I sure hope he proves them wrong. What do you think?

All I care about is can you play the position? Thus far he is having a good camp and I look forward to seeing him this pre-season. One advantage he will have is when you see that deep jump ball that many QB's get away with against small FS, I'm not sure many WR will out jump Watkins for the ball.

[AbeBeta]

Could we just maybe wait until after the first pre-season game to call Watkins a great pick?

[Bob Sacamano]

Let's not annoint Watkins as the next coming of Lott yet.

noone is...

[Bob Sacamano]

Could we just maybe wait until after the first pre-season game to call Watkins a great pick?

we could wait before we call a newspaper blog a hack too :D

[AMERICAS_FAN]

Because he's too tall.

Excatly! Watkins didn't "fit the mold" as far as typical FS measurables. And because he's more of a cover-in-space guy instead of a man-up guy he did not project well as a CB. So long story short, he was too hytbrid and teams pass up on that. My only hope is that we catch lightning ina bottle at other teams' mistaken expense. As far as raising the bar, I doubt that happens if Watkins does pan out. Teams are never to goody about drafting FSs.

AF

[AbeBeta]

we could wait before we call a newspaper blog a hack too :D

he's still a hack.

[sago1]

Most of the mock drafts that I read had Watkins going in late 2nd or 3rd round. Was totally surprised that he slipped to us in the 5th and it certainly shocked/upset him. In fact when he came in for rookie camp first weekend of May he admitted he had a chip on his should because of where he was drafted. Hurts these guys pride and the money different between first day pick & 5th money is serious dough.

The comments I read after the draft all centered on his height and how quickly he could turn his hips cause he was so tall and that he couldn't play near the LOS, etc. again because of his height. Forgotten when talking about his 6-4/6-5 height is years ago there were several pretty tall FSs--one was our own FS Michael Downs at 6-3; he was even skinny like Watkins. Redskins also signed a really good tall FS (Kenny Houston) who made life miserable for Stauback.

The NFL is a copy cat league and other teams were unwilling take chance on whom earlier. Glad we moved up to take him. It's very early yet but remember this kid was rated #3 S in the nation after his junior year (slipped a little in senior year) behind SS Michael Huff & another guy whose name I can't recall. The Cowboy scout who followed him at Florida was interviewed during The Ticket coverage of 2nd day draft and was really enthused about his skills including jumping ability and his great ST play. Don't remember all that he said but he was real excited that we got him. Based on what coaches have seen so far, I bet they pleased we got him too.

[The Realist]

So why wasn't this freak of nature taken in say the 2nd or 3rd round?

Because the sure thing 1-3 round S's slid to 4 (Ko, Blue, Bing).

Also a ton of S's went 1-2.

Fill the need early and others will slide.

[Bleed Blue]

Because the sure thing 1-3 round S's slid to 4 (Ko, Blue, Bing).

Also a ton of S's went 1-2.

Fill the need early and others will slide.Would you rate him higher than KO,Blue or Bing?

[dargonking999]

Yes

:D:D:D

(someone yells from away ........ dang homer)

[the kid 05]

And because he still has questions about him.

Let's not annoint Watkins as the next coming of Lott yet.

we're not , we already have that in roy - the lott coverage ability

[ghst187]

he may set the bar on the high jump....

[the kid 05]

Would you rate him higher than KO,Blue or Bing?

bing is now playing LB for the raiders

[MichaelWinicki]

Would you rate him higher than KO,Blue or Bing?


Ourlad's did. :)

[THUMPER]

He kind of reminds me of Cornell Green when we first brought him in. He was a basketball player, 6'4" and maybe 200 lbs. but he played very well for us at corner and safety for a lot of years. Another one of our underrated players.

[The Realist]

Would you rate him higher than KO,Blue or Bing?

To answer your question Bing wears #59 now in Oakland, Blue plays FS like a SS/LB and KO was dinged for real or perceived mental/intelligence issues (prop 42, etc).

6-5/211, 4.42, 41 VJ.

Taller, faster, more explosive than all of the above and arguably played/practiced vs better comp the than the rest.

Like BP said the other day.....defensive guys who come from that school and start for a couple years are well coached and are usually ready to play.

On top of all that I believe both his parents have Phd's if that means anything.

[dwmyers]

Ourlad's did. :)

Ourlads ratings on these 4:

Darnell Bing 8.87 (SS)
Ko Simpson 8.83 (FS)
Pat Watkins 8.74 (FS)
Greg Blue 6.43 (SS)

:eek:

[Hiero]

So why wasn't this freak of nature taken in say the 2nd or 3rd round?
honestly I thought for sure he was a 3rd rder. why he dropped so much I have no idea but thank god. I am thinking some people were turned off by his height

[scottsp]

Despite the 6-5 frame and sub 4.5 speed, what prolly gets this kid on the field quicker than anything is his ability to find and play the ball. There are big, rangy guys who can play the position in the collegiate ranks, but the biggest sticking point for young DBs coming into the league is typically their ball skills. Seems this kid has it.

Now, if he can grasp the different coverages and - prolly more importantly - identify offensive formations as to how the defense should counter, this kid will have a serious shot at starting free safety come the opener in Jacksonville.

[TheEnigma]

Despite the 6-5 frame and sub 4.5 speed, what prolly gets this kid on the field quicker than anything is his ability to find and play the ball. There are big, rangy guys who can play the position in the collegiate ranks, but the biggest sticking point for young DBs coming into the league is typically their ball skills. Seems this kid has it.

Now, if he can grasp the different coverages and - prolly more importantly - identify offensive formations as to how the defense should counter, this kid will have a serious shot at starting free safety come the opener in Jacksonville.

I think it was mentioned somewhere, maybe in more than one spot, that he was picking up the coverage schemes very quickly, and that he was a smart football player.

[Dale]

Crown Royal nailed this topic.

This reminds me a little bit of the Randy Moss debate. Moss enters the league, and suddenly everyone wants a tall, fast receiver like that. Ugh....they're not exactly easy to find. Especially good ones.

Now, I don't know if Watkins will ever amount to anything other than a training camp body. But in terms of pure size/speed ratio -- and NOT NFL talent, since we can't yet judge that -- I'd imagine it'd be difficult to find free safeties like him.

Yeah, it's a copy-cat league, but if he does ever become productive, how do you replicate players like him physically?

[groo]

The comments I read after the draft all centered on his height and how quickly he could turn his hips cause he was so tall and that he couldn't play near the LOS, etc. again because of his height.


I was at camp this morning and the defensive backs were doing drills right in front of us. Watkins is hard to miss because he's a half-helmet taller than the others and his legs are like bean poles. During the drills, he is quite sluggish in his back pedaling because his legs are so long. So he would be in trouble if he has to cover a WR near the line where you have to do lots of backpedaling then turn and run. That's one thing that I can see maybe why other scouts didn't rate him highly.