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]
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]
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]
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