I’m mostly profiling this guy because he has a cool background story, but he could also be a good fit for the Skins. Danny Watkins is a 6’3, 310 lbs Offensive Tackle from Baylor, but he will switch to Guard to play in the NFL, and he’s been soaring up draft boards lately. Watkins grew up in Kelowna, British Columbia where he played hockey and rugby in High School; he was also a part-time firefighter for the community. In 2007 Watkins enrolled at Butte College in California, where he decided to take up football. He quickly took to the game and was named a JuCo first team All-American in 2008.
Pros...
Any player that can take up the game in 2007 and become a bookend tackle in the Big XII is pretty impressive in my book. By all accounts he is a vocal leader and an extremely hard worker. He’s squatted 570 lbs and benched 425. Last May he was selected 4th overall in the CFL draft by the British Columbia Lions but decided to stay at Baylor for his Senior year (good choice Danny!)
Mike Mayock has some great insight:
"He's heavy-handed, he finishes, and he's nasty. He's been coached really well. From a technique perspective, I watched him at left tackle at Baylor this year, and he's got some natural bending ability and he's really naturally strong. They call it a six-inch punch, and he can jar you with that six inches."
Cons...
I guess you can say the fact that he’s only been playing a couple of years is a bit of a negative. Also he’ll be 26 when he suits up in the NFL next year.
Projected Pick: Like I said he has been soaring up draft boards and some mocks have him all the way in the 1st round now. I would expect him to go mid-2nd round to 3rd round.