2021 Draft Prospects: Austin Watkins

Austin Watkins – Senior – Wide Receiver, UAB

Pros: Watkins is a very solid and reliable receiver. In 2019 he had only one official drop and made some incredible catches on some very poorly thrown balls. Despite inconsistent quarterback play he was able to eclipse 1000 yards receiving and averaged 19.2 yards per catch with a lot of his balls coming deep downfield. He was utilized mostly as a deep threat receiver who made a lot of contested catches. Has great height for the position and is right around the 200 pound mark. Is able to run most routes smoothly and is able to extend for catches with incredible balance and coordination. Has great concentration and was able to track the ball well and adjust himself to make a catch.

Cons: Was not often wide-open and while he has good acceleration and top speed he was not able to translate that into downfield separation. In the games I watched I did not see a lot of quick footwork from him to create space underneath or after the catch. This was the case in press man situations where he was not active or strong with his hands to create distance from the defender. Was almost exclusively used on the left hand side of the field. May not offer much value on special teams.

Summary: I really liked what I saw from Watkins’ 2019 season, he will be in a position to see a similar workload if he plays in 2020 with a chance to really take the next step and become something special. His level of competition will be a factor in where he is drafted as he doesn’t have absurd numbers but he had an excellent game against Appalachian State in the New Orleans Bowl. Watkins has excellent size for the position, with a growing trend for shorter, speedier receivers, he brings a more traditional tall, big-body X receiver build. He is proven deep threat, showing great ability to make contested catches and his height makes him a solid target in the red zone. At the moment he has more potential than true day one value while he was great statistically he really only took over a couple of games. This is in part due to sub-par quarterback play as he was left wide open on plays. He has great balance, poise and hands to be able to make some truly athletic catches but I am not sold on his deep speed to create separation on deeper routes. Is better used in posts and sluggo routes to try and take advantage of cuts to create separation. Watkins will be a late round steal, it may take a couple of years but he will become a solid starter at the X receiver position and will be a consistent red zone threat.

Projection: Round 4-6

Pro Comparison: Geronimo Allison