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CU Medallion [53243]
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Most to gain, Most to lose - Sammy Watkins
Apr 30, 2013, 10:00 AM
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PLAYERS WITH THE MOST TO LOSE OR GAIN BEFORE 2014 DRAFT
NO. 5, SAMMY WATKINS
For some players, the college season doubles as a job interview. Every interception Matt Barkley threw last season probably caused him grief over letting his USC teammates down, but his mistakes also cost him a ton of money. He tumbled down to the fourth round after regressing from his junior season.
At this time last year, various way-too-early mock drafts were touting players like Barkley, Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson and Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones as probable first-round picks. They all went in the fourth round last week. There are a lot of college players whose professional futures will change pretty dramatically based on what happens between now and the end of the season.
Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins is one of the players whose resume could change the most based on what his 2013 season looks like.
Watkins is still considered to be one of the elite prospects in college football, and he can enter the NFL draft after this season. Most of that is based on what he did as a freshman, because his sophomore season was not first-round worthy.
Watkins was unbelievable as a freshman. He had 82 catches for 1,219 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has good size and great athletic ability, and looked like a can't-miss star.
Last year was a lot different. He was arrested for drug possession in the offseason and suspended the first two games. When he returned, he rarely produced like a future NFL star. He had just two 100-yard games, and in one of them he needed 11 catches to get 110 yards. He had a great 202-yard effort against Wake Forest, but most of the rest of his season was fairly quiet. He was knocked out of Clemson's bowl game on the first series with a leg injury. For the most part, his entire season was a wash.
His numbers dipped to 57 catches, 708 yards and three touchdowns. A 2.5-yard dip in yards per catch and a 75 percent decrease in touchdowns is troubling, even though Watkins missed all or most of four games. He wasn't even the best receiver on his team last year; that was clearly DeAndre Hopkins.
The NFL will let one bad season slide, even with the off-field issues. But if it becomes two bad seasons, especially with Clemson returning top-notch quarterback Tajh Boyd, all of a sudden Watkins' freshman season might look like the outlier.
Watkins did catch seven passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns in Clemson's spring game, which is a great sign. There's no reason Watkins can't return to his freshman form. The talent is off the charts. He'll get all the targets he can handle this season. Last season can be explained away by him dealing with the off-field distraction and suspension, as long as it doesn't happen again.
But this season is huge for Watkins. If we see the Watkins from his freshman year, he should be a first-round pick. If he repeats his sophomore season instead, he won't last long on those 2014 draft prospect lists.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/doc-five-players-most-lose-gain-2014-draft-181256329.html
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CU Medallion [73569]
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is it me or did it seem like Sammy gained a significant amt
Apr 30, 2013, 10:01 AM
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of weight last yr?
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Aficionado [194]
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Re: is it me or did it seem like Sammy gained a significant amt
Apr 30, 2013, 10:49 AM
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It's not just you. He has admitted that he wasn't taking care of his body the way he should. Hopefully, he will rectify all negative situations that he encountered last year.
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Orange Blooded [3788]
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When he said that
Apr 30, 2013, 10:52 AM
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he said he'd been skipping meals and such, that's not how you gain weight.
He had a rib injury and was probably wearing a wrap to protect that for much of the season, I don't think he gained much weight if any.
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All-TigerNet [11478]
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Skipping meals
Apr 30, 2013, 11:33 AM
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also slows down your metabolism. The way they get the football players to eat to build muscle, if you do that with a slower metabolism then you are sure to gain weight. Also he may have been eating food that was not so good for him rather than something healthy. Sometimes skipping meals leads to late night snacking at fast food places which is rarely a good option for athletes.
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Aficionado [194]
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Re: When he said that
Apr 30, 2013, 11:38 AM
[ in reply to When he said that ] |
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Irregardless, I hope Sammy gets back to prime form. He is a heck of an athlete and lots of fun to watch! I will be in Death Valley to watch him and cheer for him and the rest of the team! Go Tigers!
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110%er [6224]
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haven't seen a mock draft for next year yet
Apr 30, 2013, 10:03 AM
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that doesn't have Tajh and Sammy in the first round.
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Orange Blooded [3288]
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Re: Most to gain, Most to lose - Sammy Watkins
Apr 30, 2013, 2:34 PM
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Admittedly Sammy was not quite at the level last year that he was as a freshman. That said, how much of his lower production was a result of teams scheming for him and thus allowing Nuk to become a first round draft pick?
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Hall of Famer [24777]
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Would that apply in reverse for his freshman year?***
Apr 30, 2013, 3:59 PM
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Member [22]
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After Dabo made Watkins play injured in the USC game his
Apr 30, 2013, 5:43 PM
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freshman year he has only been just a better than average WR, nothing special but it's all in his head.
Hopefully he gets his confidence back and plays like he's a freshman again before Dabo abused him in that Carolina game just to get a W against SS. It did not help then and hopefully Watkins will tell DS to kiss off if it happens again this year.
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All-TigerNet [14470]
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Re: After Dabo made Watkins play injured in the USC game his
Apr 30, 2013, 5:48 PM
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wow just when you thought you had heard everything, you find out you have not. unbelievable the things that go through peoples feeble minds.
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