According to personnel people, Danny Watkins is one of the safer prospects in the upcoming draft.
Danny Watkins, a 26-year-old offensive lineman from Baylor University, is one of the top-rated offensive guard prospects going into Thursday's NFL draft.
The British Columbia native is one of 25 players who have been invited to attend the opening round in New York City. According to sources, Watkins is expected to be selected in the first round or early second round of the draft.
SPORTSNET.CA contacted a NFL general manager, who wanted to remain anonymous, to offer his opinion on Watkins:
"He's got all the physical tools," the GM began. "Where do I think he'll go? I think he's a second-round draft pick who very well could go at the bottom of the first, and the reason I say the bottom of the first is most of the teams in the league would look at it like we do and say, 'He's a second-round draft pick and he should be thought about at any point in time beginning now, so therefore do we want to beat everybody there? We need to get ahead of that and we need to strike at the bottom of the first.'
"But that means somebody was thinking of the second (round for him) but says, 'I'm not going to fool with all of this.' If you're way at the bottom or in the middle, you're constantly waiting and if your guy is there you go on the attack and get him or you move it up a round or you go to the bottom of the first. There's a lot of strategies and chess games going on. I believe he's a second rounder for everybody talent-wise, but it would not surprise me that some teams would make a move at the bottom (of the first).
"I don't believe you'll see him (going) one through 15. I could be wrong. I don't think you'll see him (taken) until the tail end of the first. And when the first round ends and we go to the second, I believe at any time his name should be called. He's that good. Some teams may not want a guard or a centre, so they're not going to take him and will take another position.
"Those that are interested in a lineman -- and there are many out there -- I think he's in that upper echelon list … He's a guard/centre, depending on what you want to use him for. Some people are talking of the possibilities that he can be an offensive right tackle. Maybe. But I see him as a guard/centre that could be a right offensive tackle that is a valuable swing guy."
Watkins never played football until he finished high school. He played provincial junior hockey instead. The B.C. native only began to play football when he attended Butte Community College in California. Watkins planned to seek a career in fire studies after working as a fireman in Kelowna, British Columbia. Watkins' size was so impressive that he was asked to play football for Butte.
After two outstanding seasons at Butte, Watkins was recruited by Baylor, a prominent Division I school in Waco, Texas. Watkins started at offensive tackle during his two seasons at Baylor after Jason Smith (second overall pick in 2009) departed for the NFL.
"We only concentrate on (prospects) when it's their time coming out or when we hear they're coming," the GM said. "It doesn't take long. All of a sudden you just focus and go. You look at all the tapes and all the evaluations and all the interviews and you make a determination. In this case it was very easy (because he's) outstanding in so many areas.
"He's got all the intangibles, all the extras. Maturity (at age 26), not hurting him at all," added the GM. "Just one of those things that happens every now and then - there's some guys who come down from Canada at all different levels and he's one and he's now."
"Personality is outstanding, which is a plus. All kinds of things off the charts as a young man: maturity level, you know his background - all very impressive. All these things are way, way high that with the ability makes it a very comfortable, good feeling to select a young man that's grounded, mature, gets it in all the things we do.
"Sometimes we take players that we're nervous about a lot of things, but you have to get players to play. This guy is terrific. (Watkins) is highly regarded. He's made a lot of trips (to visit teams). He's right up there with the big boys. We'll see what happens to him."
Watkins was asked to kick inside to guard when Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey coached him at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama -- a position Bills general manager Buddy Nix thinks Watkins can strive at.
"Danny Watkins is a good player. We had him at the Senior Bowl," Nix said Tuesday in a live chat on sportsnet.ca. "I think Danny Watkins is a guard, not a tackle. He played tackle in college but he's a lot better we thought at guard,"
The GM said he heavily studied Watkins during his senior year, although the team had him on its radar before that.
