Eagles select Southern Miss WR Quez Watkins with pick No. 200 overall in 2020 NFL Draft

Eagles select Southern Miss WR Quez Watkins with pick No. 200 overall in 2020 NFL Draft

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The Philadelphia Eagles continue to add speed to the roster for Carson Wentz, this time drafting Southern Mississippi speed wideout, Quez Watkins in the sixth round.

Slight with a thin frame — which will make fans nervous — Watkins can fly and that’s what the Eagles are lacking.

The former Southern Miss wideout caught 64 passes for 1,178 yards (18.4 YPC) as a junior in 2019, one year a sophomore season that saw him rack up 889 receiving yards.

2020 NFL Draft: Giants could benefit from deep WR pool

The New York Giants could benefit from an exceptionally deep wide receiver pool in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft is loaded at the wide receiver position. It is so saturated with NFL-level pass catchers, each team should be able to come away from the draft table with at least one potential starter or contributor.

Both the haves and the have-nots of the NFL are going to get better at the wide receiver position this offseason. The New York Giants have to be smart and beat teams to the wideouts that fit them best.

The Giants already have an impressive lot at wideout, but considering Sterling Shepard suffered two concussions, Golden Tate is 32 years old and Corey Coleman is on a one-year contract, the future at the position looks like Darius Slayton and several other unprovens.

The Giants can fortify their depth chart in this draft. Now’s the time.

They likely won’t take a receiver in the first round, and maybe not even in Rounds 2 or 3, but the depth of this class goes beyond three rounds. Last year, they found Slayton in the fifth round. This year, they can easily find another viable receiver in that round — or beyond.

Here are some mid-to-late round options they should consider:

Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State (6’4″, 210) – Big outside and red zone target with good hands and ability to win the contested catch.

Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan (6’2″, 212) – Underachieving college player who could find his niche in the NFL. Has size, speed and hands to make it at the next level.

Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty (6’4″, 223) – Smaller-school prospect that is on everyone’s sleeper list. Can do it all.

James Proche, SMU (6’0″, 195) – Speedster who averaged 20.4 yards per catch. Caught 112 passes for 1,225 yard and 15 touchdowns in 2019.

Tyler Johnson, Minnesota (6’1″, 206) – Powerful frame allows him to bully defenders. Is one of the Gophers’ all-time productive receivers.

K.J. Hill, Ohio State (6’0″, 196) – The Buckeyes’ all-time receiving leader who is a reliable pair of hands. He’ll be on an NFL roster in 2019.

Kalija Lipscomb, Vanderbilt (6’1″, 207) – Coming off a disappointing 2019 campaign, but led the SEC in receiving in 2018 and is a versatile option.

Quez Watkins, So. Mississippi (6’0″, 195) – Ran 4.35 40 at the NFL Combine and is still scratching the surface of his ability.

Collin Johnson, Texas (6’6″, 225) – A huge target who will likely find his niche in the NFL as a downfield/red zone option.

Quartney Davis, Texas A&M (6’1″, 201) – Has 4.5 speed and is built to play in the slot in the NFL.

Others who interest me: Juwan Johnson, Oregon; John Hightower, Boise State; Dezmon Patmon, Washington State; Stephen Guidry, Mississippi State;  Ja’Marcus Bradley, Louisiana and Jauan Jennings, Tennessee.

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5 mid-round WR prospects the Philadelphia Eagles could target in the 2020 NFL Draft

5 mid-round WR prospects the Philadelphia Eagles could target in the 2020 NFL Draft

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The Philadelphia Eagles will definitely address the wide receiver position in this week’s NFL draft, and with holes at other positions on the roster, Howie Roseman could wait until the later rounds to target his second pass catcher.

With the big names all off of the board, the Eagles will still have the opportunity to land a quality wide receiver late in day two or during the draft’s final day.

Here are five mid-round prospects the Eagles could target at the wide receiver position.

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1. Gabriel Davis, UCF

After putting his name on the map as a sophomore and junior seasons, Davis finished his career off with 72 catches for 1,241 yards (17.2 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns as a junior.  A freakish performer when you watch the game film, Davis impressed in person, posting a 4.54 in the 40 with a 35-inch vertical.

 

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Prospect for the Pack: Southern Miss WR Quez Watkins

Breaking down the draft profile of Southern Miss receiver Quez Watkins, a potential pick for the Packers in the 2020 NFL draft.

The Green Bay Packers must use the 2020 NFL Draft to provide the finishing touches on a team that won 13 regular-season games and got within one game of the Super Bowl during Matt LaFleur’s first season as head coach.

Between now and the draft, Packers Wire will periodically break down one top prospect fitting the Packers’ roster needs.

Up next is Southern Miss receiver Quez Watkins:

What he can do

– Long, lean body type. Weighed in at the combine at 185. Nearly 80″ wingspan

– Abundance of speed. Ran 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, with one of the best 10-yard splits in the receiver class

– Uses speed to motor away from defenders and turn catches into big plays. YAC threat in space

– Tons of big-play production on short crossers underneath

– Play strength is a concern. Too lean and easily disrupted at the line or at the top of routes by stronger players. Alabama pressed him to death. Caught only three passes for 24 yards during a tough afternoon against Trevon Diggs

– Needs to get stronger

– Won within routes with speed. Can work vertically, or across the field. Offense let him just out-run corners. Rarely needed to win with nuance or cunning. Will need more refinement at the next level

– Hit 36.5″ in the vertical. Long arms and jumping ability create above the rim opportunities

– Several impressive catches in traffic on 50/50 balls downfield. Wins good chunk of contested catch opportunities

– Tracks football well on vertical shots. Comfortable making catches over the shoulder on the run

– Late hands on deep balls. Hides clues and snags the incoming football without providing reaction time for defender

– Stretches the seam from the slot

– Didn’t accomplish much in quick screen game

– Produced over 2,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns over final two seasons

How he fits

As a Day 3 developmental receiver type. Even if the Packers grab a receiver in the first few rounds, it’d make sense for GM Brian Gutekunst to dip back into this talented class of pass-catchers and draft at least one more, especially if he can find one with some legit upside. Watkins needs time to develop as an overall receiver, but he has 4.35 speed, burst after the catch, long arms and ball-tracking ability, providing long-term potential as a big-play threat. His role will likely be strictly defined at the next level, but he’ll have a chance to be very good in that role.

NFL comp

Paul Richardson. Both are lean speedsters with a finesse game and an ability to go up and win catches down the field. They are almost identical in size, athleticism, collegiate experience and play style. Richardson looked like an emerging big-play threat in Seattle before injuries started derailing his career.

Where Packers could get him

At some point on Day 3. His projections range between the fourth and seventh rounds. The Packers have seven picks in that range and could easily use one on a receiver like Watkins.

Previous Prospects for the Pack

WR Tee Higgins
LB Kenneth Murray
LB Patrick Queen
WR Jalen Reagor
WR Justin Jefferson
TE Harrison Bryant
WR Denzel Mims
WR Brandon Aiyuk
WR/TE Chase Claypool
LB Zack Baun
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither
OT Josh Jones
OT Austin Jackson
S Antoine Winfield Jr.
DL Raekwon Davis
DB Xavier McKinney
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
DL A.J. Epenesa
TE Hunter Bryant
RB Jonathan Taylor
RB Zack Moss
WR Michael Pittman
WR K.J. Hamler
WR John Hightower
LB Jordyn Brooks
LB Troy Dye
LB Willie Gay Jr.
OT Jack Driscoll
WR Devin Duvernay
OT Ezra Cleveland
WR Van Jefferson
OT Andrew Thomas
S Grant Delpit
TE Cole Kmet
OT Tristan Wirfs
QB Jordan Love
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
DB Jeremy Chinn
RB/WR Antonio Gibson
DL Jordan Elliott
DB K’Von Wallace
WR Bryan Edwards
DL Ross Blacklock
LB Logan Wilson
DL Justin Madubuike
RB Cam Akers
LB Malik Harrison
RB Darrynton Evans
WR Lynn Bowden Jr. 
WR Gabriel Davis
LB Josh Uche
CB Trevon Diggs
DB Terrell Burgess
OLB Terrell Lewis
CB A.J. Terrell
WR Quintez Cephus
TE Albert Okwuegbunam
QB Jalen Hurts
WR Tyler Johnson
IOL Cesar Ruiz
DB Ashtyn Davis

A wide receiver for Chargers in every round of 2020 NFL Draft

The wide receivers in this year’s draft should intrigue the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers possess a lethal one-two punch at wide receiver with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. However, they’re missing a solid No. 3 option to round out the positional group.

Fortunately for Los Angeles, the receiver position in the upcoming draft is loaded with talent, where they’d be able to find a viable option to solidify that void in the first-round or Day 3.

With that being said, here is a wideout from each round that could fit in Los Angeles:

Round 1 | CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma

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Lamb is the definition of play-maker, having finished with 24 catches that went for over 40 yards in his three-year stint for the Sooners. Lamb totaled 3,799 career all purpose yards, including 3,292 receiving yards on 173 catches and 32 touchdowns.

Lamb, the 6-foot-1 and 196 pounder is a well-rounded player with great athleticism, good change of direction, solid acceleration, hands, body control and leaping ability to flourish at the next level, projecting as a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver.