Danny Watkins

Danny Watkins

No. 63     Philadelphia Eagles
Offensive guard
Personal information
Date of birth: November 6, 1984 (1984-11-06) (age 27)
Place of birth: Kelowna, British Columbia
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
College: Baylor
NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23
CFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Debuted in 2011 for the Philadelphia Eagles
Career history
Philadelphia Eagles (2011–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
1× First-team All-Big 12 honors (2010) 1× JC Athletic Bureau first-team All-America honors (2008) 1× All-NorCal Conference honors (2008) 1× First-team Region I All-California honors (2008)
Career NFL statistics as of 2011
Games played	2
Games started	2
Stats at NFL.com

Danny William Watkins (born November 6, 1984) is a Canadian offensive guard for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. He was drafted fourth overall by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in the 2010 CFL Draft, but played out his last year at Baylor University, the 2010 season.

Early years

Watkins' father, Todd, is a road grader. In high school, Watkins played rugby and hockey as a defenceman, but became the "designated goon" because of his size.^[1][2] He became a junior firefighter when he was 16 after visiting the West Kelowna Fire and Rescue firestation.^[2][3]

College career

Butte College

Watkins enrolled at Butte College to study fire sciences in order to become a firefighter after a year as a junior firefighter. The school's football coach recruited him to play for their football team, at the age of 22. He played football at Butte from 2007−2008, helping them to a perfect 11−0 record in 2008. Butte coaches sent game tape of his to Division I-A schools, and California, Hawaii, and Baylor were the schools interested.^[1]

Baylor University

Watkins transferred to Baylor University,^[4] after head coach Art Briles was impressed with his game tape at Butte.^[1] Watkins started at left offensive tackle as a junior in 2009 for the Bears. He replaced Jason Smith, who was drafted second overall by the St. Louis Rams in the 2009 NFL Draft.^[2]

Professional career

CFL Draft

Watkins was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 CFL Draft by the BC Lions.^[5]

NFL Draft

Prior to the 2011 NFL Draft, Watkins was projected to be drafted in the first or second round.^[6] He hired former NFL offensive lineman Joe Panos as his agent.^[7]

Pre-draft measureables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 3⅜ in	310 lb	5.36 s	1.82 s	2.97 s	4.62 s	7.61 s	26 in	7 ft 8 in	29 rep
All values from 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.[6]

Watkins invited five of his friends from the West Kelowna fire department to join him at the draft. On the morning of the draft, Watkins and his firefighter friends visited a New York City firehouse that lost several members during the September 11 attacks.^[8]

Philadelphia Eagles

Watkins was selected with the 23rd overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2011 NFL Draft. He became the oldest first-round selection since 1980 at the age of 26. He was the first Canadian to be drafted in the first rounds of both the CFL and NFL drafts since Mike Schad in 1986.^[2] He was projected to start as a rookie at right offensive guard^[1] and signed a four-year contract worth $7.9 million on August 1.^[9] However, the Eagles claimed Kyle DeVan off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts before the start of the season and Watkins was benched. Watkins was inactive for the first two weeks of the season and was active for a week three game against the New York Giants, but did not play. He was inactive again in week four, but was promoted to the starting right guard on October 5, due to the ineffectiveness of DeVan through the first four games of the season.^[10]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} McLane, Jeff (April 29, 2011). "Eagles top pick Watkins is older but plays like a kid". Philadelphia Inquirer. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/04/29/1993039/eagles-top-pick-watkins-is-older.html. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Beamish, Mike (April 29, 2011). "Canadian ready to put out pass rusher". Montreal Gazette. http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Canadian+ready+pass+rusher/4701302/story.html. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
3. ^ Patton, Steve (May 1, 2011). "Hockey history helps Watkins". Reading Eagle. http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=304921. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 
4. ^ "Canadian jumps from fire to NFL". CBC.ca. January 26, 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/story/2011/01/26/sp-watkins-canadian-nfl.html. Retrieved 29 April 2011. 
5. ^ BC selects Danny Watkins with 4th pick
6. ^ ^{a b} "Danny Watkins, DS #2 OG, Baylor". nfldraftscout.com. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=89839&draftyear=2011&genpos=OG. Retrieved 2011-04-30. 
7. ^ Lefko, Perry (April 7, 2011). "Watkins draft elite". sportsnet.ca. http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/nfl/2011/04/07/lefko_on_watkins/. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
8. ^ Masters, Mark. "Watkins still reeling from NFL draft". The National Post. http://sports.nationalpost.com/2011/04/30/watkins-still-reeling-from-nfl-draft/. Retrieved 28 July 2011. 
9. ^ Florio, Mike (August 1, 2011). "Danny Watkins agrees to terms with Eagles". profootballtalk.com. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/01/danny-watkins-agrees-to-terms-with-eagles/. Retrieved 2011-08-01. 
10. ^ Mosher, Geoff (October 5, 2011). "Source: Eagles to start first-round pick Watkins". delawareonline.com. http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20111005/SPORTS02/111005009/Source-Eagles-start-first-round-pick-Watkins. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 

External links

• Philadelphia Eagles bio
• Baylor Bears football bio

Further reading

• "Carlton: Burning desire drives Baylor's Danny Watkins". dallasnews.com. August 9, 2010. http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/baylor-bears/20100809-Carlton-Burning-desire-drives-Baylor-9253.ece. Retrieved 2011-04-30.