Wikipedia

Quez Watkins

Terrance "Quez" Watkins (born June 9, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Miss and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft. He signed with Pittsburgh in 2024.

Quez Watkins
refer to caption
Watkins with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022
No. 16 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1998-06-09) June 9, 1998 (age 26)
Athens, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Athens
College:Southern Miss (2016–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 6 / pick: 200
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024
Receptions:98
Receiving yards:1,249
Receiving touchdowns:6
Return yards:200
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Watkins grew up in Athens, Alabama, and attended Athens High School.[1] During his junior season, he returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns in the first two games. As a senior, he was named second team 6A All-State after catching 44 passes for 847 yards and 12 touchdowns. He committed to play college football at Southern Miss over offers from Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky and Samford.[2]

College career

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Watkins redshirted his true freshman season.[3] The following year he finished with 23 receptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns.[4][5] As a redshirt sophomore Watkins led the Golden Eagles with 72 receptions, 889 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches and was named First team All-Conference USA.[6] Watkins was again a first team All-Conference USA selection as a redshirt junior after catching 64 passes for 1,178 yards and six touchdowns despite missing the first two games of the season due to a suspension.[7] Watkins announced that he would forgo his final season of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2020 NFL draft.[8]

College statistics

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Year G Receiving
Rec Yds Avg TD
2017 11 23 337 14.7 2
2018 11 72 889 12.3 9
2019 12 64 1,178 18.4 6
Career 34 159 2,404 15.1 17

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 0+1⁄8 in
(1.83 m) 		185 lb
(84 kg) 		32+7⁄8 in
(0.84 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.35 s 1.52 s 2.55 s 4.36 s 7.28 s 36.5 in
(0.93 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)
All values from NFL Combine[9]

Philadelphia Eagles

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Watkins was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round with the 200th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.[10] He was placed on injured reserve on September 6, 2020.[11] He was designated to return from injured reserve on September 29, and began practicing with the team again.[12] He was activated on October 10.[13] In Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, Watkins caught three passes for 40 yards and his first career touchdown reception during the 33–26 loss.[14] In the 2020 season, Watkins recorded seven receptions for 106 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in six games.[15]

Watkins established himself early on in the 2021 season as the wide receiver two for the Eagles. He was placed on the COVID list on December 13, 2021.[16] In Week 2, against the San Francisco 49ers, he had two receptions for 117 receiving yards in the 17–11 loss.[17] In the game, he recorded a 91-yard reception, which was the longest reception by any player in the 2021 NFL season.[18] Watkins had a solid year in 2021, ending the campaign with 43 catches for 647 yards and one touchdown.[19]

In the 2022 season, Watkins finished with 33 receptions for 354 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[20] In 2023, the Eagles reached Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs. In Super Bowl LVII, Watkins had one catch for 8 yards. During the third quarter with the Eagles up by 3 points, and at the Kansas City 42 yard-line, Watkins dropped a pass that would have put the Eagles inside of the ten yard-line.[21] The Eagles ended up opting for a field goal, which extended their lead to six points. However, the Eagles went on to lose the game by a score of 38-35.[22]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On April 1, 2024, Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[23]

During the preseason, he posted one catch for 10 yards. The Steelers then cut him ahead of the 53-man roster deadline on August 27 and re-signed him to the practice squad.[24][25]

Professional statistics

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Regular season

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Season Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost
2020 PHI 6 0 7 106 15.1 43 1 0 0
2021 PHI 17 12 43 647 15.0 91 1 0 0
2022 PHI 17 8 33 354 10.7 53 3 1 1
2023 PHI 9 5 15 142 9.5 19 1 0 0
Total 49 25 98 1,249 12.7 91 6 1 1

Playoffs

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Season Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost
2021 PHI 1 0 2 35 17.5 35 0 0 0
2022 PHI 3 1 1 8 8.0 8 0 0 0
2023 PHI 1 0 3 12 4.0 6 0 0 0
Total 5 1 6 55 9.2 35 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "Athens native faced with adjustments preparing for NFL draft". WAFF.com. March 27, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "Athens' Watkins commits to Southern Miss". The News Courier. January 21, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Hinton, Alan (September 7, 2017). "Quez Watkins flashes skill, speed in Southern Miss debut". Sun Herald. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  4. ^ Doherty, Tim (January 3, 2018). "USM football's top receiver declares for NFL draft". WDAM.com. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Athens' Watkins finalist for Conerly Trophy". The News Courier. November 20, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "Southern Miss football will be without its top offensive player to begin 2019 season". Sun Herald. August 26, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Curet, Taylor (April 17, 2020). "Quez Watkins on the doorstep of the NFL". WDAM.com. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  8. ^ Taylor, John (January 4, 2020). "Southern Miss WR Quez Watkins declares for draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "Quez Watkins Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  10. ^ Curet, Taylor (April 26, 2020). "Eagles scoop speedy Watkins of Southern Miss". WDAM.com. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  11. ^ McPherson, Chris (September 6, 2020). "Eagles place S Will Parks and WR Quez Watkins on Injured Reserve". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  12. ^ Gallen, Daniel (September 29, 2020). "Philadelphia Eagles begin window for WR Quez Watkins to return to practice". PennLive.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  13. ^ McPherson, Chris (October 10, 2020). "Roster Moves: Eagles sign DB Grayland Arnold; activate CB Craig James and WR Quez Watkins; and elevate TE Jason Croom and DB Elijah Riley". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  14. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "Quez Watkins 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  16. ^ Bowman, Paul (December 13, 2021). "Eagles Place Two On COVID List, Re-Sign Corner". SportsTalkPhilly.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  17. ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles - September 19th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  18. ^ "2021 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  19. ^ "Quez Watkins 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  20. ^ "Quez Watkins 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  21. ^ Clancy, Shamus (February 15, 2023). "Quez Watkins reflects on Super Bowl drop". Philly Voice. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  22. ^ "Super Bowl LVII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 12th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  23. ^ Varley, Teresa (April 1, 2024). "Watkins signed to one-year contract". Steelers.com.
  24. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 27, 2024). "Steelers trim 2024 roster to 53 players". Steelers.com.
  25. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 30, 2024). "Steelers sign eight to practice squad". Steelers.com.
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