Former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins is entering his ninth year in the NFL, and coming off a season in which he had a career-low 394 receiving yards, he’s eager to prove he can still be a reliable weapon.
Speaking to PFF’s Doug Kyed, Watkins’ trainer, Bert Whigham, praised the Clemson product, who is now playing for the Green Bay Packers after stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.
“That guy is going to be good for the Packers,” Whigham said. “He started working with us like seven weeks ago, and he said he wanted to be ‘college Sammy.’ Sammy is going to have a big year. He told me, ‘I want to be Clemson Sammy Watkins.’ And I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ He’s just up there squatting 405 for eight right now like it’s nothing. He started around 218, and he’s at 225 right now, too. He’s going to go be a No. 1 in Green Bay.”
The 6-foot-1 wideout played for the Tigers from 2011 to 2013, having one of the most prominent careers in Clemson football history. In his three years of college, Watkins had a combined 3,391 yards, a program record that still holds to this day.
Whigham also said that Watkins hadn’t trained as hard as he is now since college, so he is certainly a player to keep an eye on as the 2022 season rapidly approaches.
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