Quez Watkins an under-hyped 2020 rookie for Eagles

The Eagles got themselves a gem in Southern Miss WR Quez Watkins.

The Philadelphia Eagles‘ 2020 NFL Draft class was all about one thing — speed.

The Eagles didn’t just draft one of the fastest guys at the positions they targeted. They doubled up at positions of need in this class and in the case of the wide receiver position, they tripled up.

Quadrupled if you count the trade for veteran speedster Marquise Goodwin.

The Eagles were sick of having a lack of depth at receiver and a lack of deep speed, something they sorely missed when DeSean Jackson missed time due to injury last season.

They made sure they weren’t going to struggle with speed at the receiver position anytime soon by using their top pick on TCU’s Jalen Reagor, one of the fastest and most physical receivers in this class.

They followed up that selection by taking Boise State’s John Hightower in round five, a speedster out of Boise State who can be a vertical threat from the slot.

In the sixth round, the Eagles came away with a player I feel is one of the most under-hyped in their 2020 rookie class: Southern Miss wide receiver Quez Watkins.

Watkins at a glance

Watkins caught 159 passes in three seasons for Southern Miss, racking up over 2,400 yards receiving with 17 touchdown catches. He averaged over 18 yards per catch in 2019 and dazzled at the Scouting Combine with a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash along with a 36.5-inch vertical jump.

Watkins is not the biggest receiver and needs to get a bit stronger to work against press coverage at the NFL level, but there’s no question he can make contested catches and he’s not a one-trick type of player with his speed.

Southern Miss asked a lot of Watkins in terms of getting vertical, making plays in the short-intermediate passing game, and making plays after the catch.

He has experience as an “X” receiver but can flex around the formation and do a little bit of everything.

With the Eagles’ depth at receiver this season, Watkins might be buried on the depth chart and may not even be a lock for the final roster, but he has an NFL future if he can continue to improve his craft and release at the line of scrimmage.

His speed and acceleration in the open field are unreal, and when he gets a full head of steam, no one can catch him.