Sammy Watkins
Samuel Benjamin Watkins (born June 14, 1993) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, twice earning first-team All-American honors. Watkins was selected by the Buffalo Bills fourth overall in the 2014 NFL draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers. Watkins became a Super Bowl champion as a member of the Chiefs.
For the musician, see Sammy Watkins (musician).Personal information
June 14, 1993
Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
211 lb (96 kg)
Clemson (2011–2013)
2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
364
364
5,384
34
Early years[edit]
Watkins attended South Fort Myers High School in Fort Myers, Florida, where he was a letterman in football, basketball and track & field.[1][2] He became the all-time leading receiver in the history of Lee County with 133 catches for 2,997 yards and 36 touchdowns during his career. As a sophomore, he had 33 receptions for 537 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his junior and senior years, he was a first-team all-state selection. In his junior year, he added 46 catches for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a senior, Watkins had eight 100-yard receiving games on the season, accumulating totals of 54 catches for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led an undefeated South Fort Myers team into the 3A state semi-finals, where they lost 44–28 to a Duke Johnson-led Miami Norland team.[3] He played in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[4]
In addition to football, Watkins ran track & field for the Wolfpack, where he was one of the state's top performers in the sprinting events. As a junior, he finished fifth in the 100 meters and sixth in the 200 meters at the state meet. As a senior, he captured the AA state title in the 200 meters, with a PR of 21.11 seconds.[5] He also won the 100 meters at the 2011 Tarpon Invitational, recording a personal-best time of 10.45 seconds.[6]
Watkins was a highly touted recruit before the 2011 college football season.[7] Regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated the third-best wide receiver prospect in the nation, behind only George Farmer and Trey Metoyer.[8] He was ranked fifth best by Scout.com.[9] Watkins committed to Clemson University in November 2010.[10] Recruited by dozens of schools, he chose Clemson over offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami (FL), Michigan, and Tennessee.[11]
Personal life[edit]
In a pre-draft interview, Watkins said that his favorite football team, as a child, was the Buffalo Bills.[74] In May 2012, Watkins was arrested by Clemson campus police for possession of marijuana.[2] He was also found to have one pill each of Vyvanse and Adderall and charged with possession of a controlled substance. As a result, Watkins was suspended for the first two games of the 2012–2013 season.[75] Watkins completed pre-trial intervention and had the charge expunged from his record.
His older half brother, Jaylen Watkins, is a defensive back who is currently a free agent.[76] Both Sammy and Jaylen were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, 97 picks apart. He has three daughters.[77] Watkins is also the cousin of fellow wide receiver, Austin Watkins Jr.[78]
On July 11, 2014, Watkins was awarded the Key to the City of Fort Myers, the town in which he grew up.[79]
In September 2017, Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times reported that Watkins believes the Earth is flat.[80]
In a May 2020 interview with Bleacher Report, Watkins opened up about his struggles with mental health and addiction throughout his career, in addition to his spiritual beliefs.[81]