Jaylen Watkins (born November 27, 1991) is a former American football safety. He played college football for the University of Florida. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
| No. 37, 26, 27, 20 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | November 27, 1991 Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Cape Coral (Cape Coral, Florida) | ||||||
| College: | Florida | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2014 / round: 4 / pick: 101 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editA native of Cape Coral, Florida, Watkins attended Cape Coral High School. He played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back at Cape Coral, leading his team to an 11–1 record in his senior season, advancing to the FHSAA 4A Regional semifinals. He passed for 1,230 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior and rushed for 928 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also had 29 receptions for 461 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran track at Cape Coral and advanced to the 4A Track Championships in the 4x100 relay. He was selected to play in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.[1]
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the fourth best cornerback prospect in his class.[2]
College career
editWatkins attended the University of Florida from 2010 to 2013. He appeared in 48 games, with 28 starts, at both cornerback and safety. He primarily played special teams as a freshman, before earning an increased role in the defense as a sophomore and throughout his tenure at Florida. During his career, he accumulated 133 tackles, including four for loss, 21 pass breakups and three interceptions.
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (1.82 m) |
194 lb (88 kg) |
30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.41 s | 1.50 s | 2.56 s | 4.50 s | 7.13 s | 31.5 in (0.80 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
22 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[3][4] | ||||||||||||
Philadelphia Eagles (first stint)
editWatkins was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round (101st overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.[5][6]
On September 5, 2015, Watkins was released by the Eagles.[7]
Buffalo Bills
editOn September 7, 2015, Watkins was signed to the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills and practiced with his brother Sammy Watkins.[8]
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)
editOn November 27, 2015, Watkins was re-signed by the Eagles off the Bills' practice squad.[9]
On March 4, 2017, Watkins signed a one-year extension with the Eagles.[10] Watkins won a Super Bowl ring when the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.[11]
Los Angeles Chargers (first stint)
editOn March 30, 2018, Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.[12] In the Chargers' second preseason game, Watkins suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve on August 19, 2018.[13]
On February 15, 2019, Watkins re-signed with the Chargers.[14]
Houston Texans
editOn March 30, 2020, Watkins signed a two-year contract with the Houston Texans.[15] He was released on September 5, 2020.[16]
Los Angeles Chargers (second stint)
editOn November 7, 2020, Watkins was signed to the Chargers' practice squad.[17] He was elevated to the active roster on November 21 and December 17 for the team's weeks 11 and 15 games against the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.[18][19] On January 1, 2021, Watkins was promoted to the active roster.[20]
Personal life
editHe is the older half-brother of wide receiver Sammy Watkins.[21][22]
References
edit- ^ Pipitone, Michael (November 10, 2009). "Gators commit will play in U.S. Army All-American Bowl". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Jaylen Watkins". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ "Jaylen Watkins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ "2014 Draft Scout Jaylen Watkins, Florida NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Maaddi, Rob (May 10, 2014). "Eagles select DB Jaylen Watkins in fourth round". USA Today. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Kaye, Mike (May 10, 2014). "NFL Draft Results: Jaylen Watkins to Philadelphia Eagles with No. 101 Pick". Bleeding Green Nation. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Gowton, Brandon Lee (September 5, 2015). "Philadelphia Eagles Roster Cuts 2015: Team officially trims down to 52 players". BleedingGreenNation.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ^ "Bills add Andre Fluellen to 53-man roster; Five added to practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. September 7, 2015. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ Gowton, Brandon Lee (November 27, 2015). "Eagles sign Jaylen Watkins away from Bills, place Nolan Carroll on injured reserve". BleedingGreenNation.com. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ^ Spadaro, Dave (March 4, 2017). "Jaylen Watkins Agrees To One-Year Deal". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
- ^ Jones, Lindsay H. (February 5, 2018). "Super Bowl 2018: Eagles dethrone Tom Brady, Patriots in stunner". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Henne, Ricky (March 30, 2018). "Chargers Agree to Terms with Versatile DB Jaylen Watkins". Chargers.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ Henne, Ricky (August 19, 2018). "Chargers Add Safety Micah Hannemann Off Waivers". Chargers.com.
- ^ "Chargers Re-sign DB Jaylen Watkins". Chargers Wire. USA Today. February 15, 2019.
- ^ "Texans agree to terms on the following moves". HoustonTexans.com. March 21, 2020.
- ^ "Transactions: Roster Moves (9-5-2020)". HoustonTexans.com. September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Make Roster Moves". Chargers.com. November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers put leading tackler Kyzir White on COVID-19 list". ESPN.com. November 21, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ "Chargers Make Moves Before Thursday Night Football". Chargers.com. December 17, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Make Roster Moves Prior to Sunday's Game". Chargers.com. January 1, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ^ Dougherty, Jesse (October 4, 2013). "Brothers Sammy, Jaylen Watkins share powerful bond through stardom". The Daily Orange. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Heilman, Phillip (October 28, 2013). "Big-brother influence: Florida safety Jaylen Watkins has been a guiding influence for the Gators' young defenders". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 10, 2014.