Sammy Watkins facts for kids
Sammy Watkins (born June 14, 1993) is an American professional football player. He is a wide receiver, which means he catches passes from the quarterback. Sammy played college football for the Clemson Tigers. He was so good that he was named an All-American twice. In 2014, the Buffalo Bills picked him fourth overall in the 2014 NFL draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers. Sammy Watkins won a Super Bowl championship with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Watkins with the Buffalo Bills in 2015
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | June 14, 1993 Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 211 lb (96 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | South Fort Myers | ||||||
| College: | Clemson (2011–2013) | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Sammy Watkins grew up in Fort Myers, Florida. He went to South Fort Myers High School. There, he was a star in football, basketball, and track. He became the best receiver in Lee County history. He had 133 catches for 2,997 yards and 36 touchdowns.
As a sophomore, he caught 33 passes for 537 yards and 10 touchdowns. In his junior and senior years, he was chosen for the all-state team. During his junior year, he had 46 catches for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns. As a senior, he had eight games with over 100 receiving yards. He finished that year with 54 catches for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. He helped his team have a perfect season. They reached the state semi-finals.
Sammy was also a top sprinter in track and field. He finished fifth in the 100 meters and sixth in the 200 meters at the state meet. As a senior, he won the state title in the 200 meters. He also won the 100 meters at an invitational meet.
Before college, Sammy was a highly sought-after player. Experts like Rivals.com called him a five-star recruit. He was ranked as one of the best wide receiver prospects in the country. In November 2010, he chose to play for Clemson University. He picked Clemson over many other big schools.
College Football Career
Sammy Watkins made a big splash in his first year at Clemson in 2011. He caught 82 passes for 1,219 yards and 12 touchdowns. He even had 10 catches for 155 yards against the national champions, the Auburn Tigers. He led the country in receiving yards per game. He also broke 11 school records for freshmen.
Sammy was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press. He was only the fourth true freshman ever to achieve this honor. The others were famous players like Herschel Walker and Adrian Peterson.
In 2012, his sophomore year, he had 57 catches for 708 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior in 2013, he had an amazing 101 catches for 1,464 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named the MVP of the 2014 Orange Bowl. In that game, he set an Orange Bowl record with 16 catches for 227 yards. He also set a new school record for career receptions with 240.
In January 2014, Sammy Watkins decided to leave college early. He chose to enter the 2014 NFL Draft.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2011 | Clemson | 13 | 82 | 1,219 | 14.9 | 12 | 32 | 231 | 7.2 | 0 |
| 2012 | Clemson | 10 | 57 | 708 | 12.4 | 3 | 14 | 97 | 6.9 | 1 |
| 2013 | Clemson | 13 | 101 | 1,464 | 14.5 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 1.8 | 0 |
| Career | 36 | 240 | 3,391 | 14.1 | 27 | 52 | 339 | 6.5 | 1 | |
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄4 in (1.85 m) |
211 lb (96 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.43 s | 1.54 s | 2.52 s | 4.34 s | 6.95 s | 34 in (0.86 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
16 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Buffalo Bills
2014 Season
On May 28, 2014, Sammy Watkins signed his first professional contract with the Buffalo Bills. It was a four-year deal worth almost $20 million. In his second game, he caught his first touchdown pass. This helped the Bills win 29–10 against the Miami Dolphins. In Week 7, he had a great game against the Minnesota Vikings. He caught nine passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown was the winning score with only one second left.
Sammy finished his first season with new Bills rookie records. He had 65 catches and 982 receiving yards. He also scored six touchdowns.
2015 Season
Sammy had a calf injury early in the 2015 season. He only played in three of the first five games. He caught just seven passes for 99 yards. He was frustrated about not getting many chances to catch the ball.
Later in the season, Sammy played very well despite an injured ankle. In Week 9, he had a career-high 168 receiving yards. He caught eight passes and scored one touchdown. This helped the Bills beat the Miami Dolphins 33–17.
In his last six games of the season, he was on fire. He had 679 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He also had four games with over 100 receiving yards. Sammy finished the 2015 season with 60 catches for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. These were his career bests for yards and touchdowns. The Bills finished the season with an 8–8 record and did not make the playoffs.
2016 Season
In May 2016, Sammy Watkins broke a small bone in his foot. He had surgery to fix it. He was placed on the injured reserve list in September. This meant he couldn't play for a while. He returned to play in November. Sammy finished the 2016 season with 28 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns.
In May 2017, the Bills decided not to keep Sammy for a fifth year. This meant he would become a free agent after the 2017 season.
Los Angeles Rams
On August 11, 2017, Sammy Watkins was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 3, he scored his first touchdown with the Rams. He had 106 receiving yards in their 41–39 win over the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 9, he caught a long 67-yard pass for a touchdown. This helped the Rams win big against the New York Giants. Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 39 catches for 593 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kansas City Chiefs
On March 15, 2018, Sammy Watkins signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. In his first game with the Chiefs, he had three catches for 21 yards. In the next game, he caught six passes for 100 yards. In Week 8, he had eight catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns against the Denver Broncos. He finished the 2018 season with 40 catches for 519 yards and three touchdowns.
In the playoffs, he had six catches for 62 yards in a win against the Indianapolis Colts. In the AFC Championship game, he caught four passes for 114 yards. However, the Chiefs lost that game in overtime.
On September 8, 2019, Sammy had an amazing game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He caught nine passes for a career-high 198 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs won 40–26. For the rest of the 2019 regular season, he averaged 36.5 receiving yards per game. He finished the season with 52 catches for 673 yards and three touchdowns.
In the AFC Championship against the Tennessee Titans, he had seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs won 35–24. In Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers, Sammy caught five passes for 98 yards. This included a big 38-yard catch on the drive that won the game. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl 31–20!
In 2020, Sammy finished the season with 37 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
Baltimore Ravens (First Time)
On April 2, 2021, Sammy Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens. His best game was in Week 1. He had four catches for 96 yards in a close loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He missed several games due to injury. He scored his only touchdown of the season in a Week 13 game. He finished the year with 27 catches for 394 yards and one touchdown.
Green Bay Packers
On April 14, 2022, Sammy Watkins signed a one-year contract with the Green Bay Packers. He was placed on injured reserve in September with a hamstring injury. He returned to play in October. He was released by the Packers in December 2022.
Baltimore Ravens (Second Time)
On December 20, 2022, the Baltimore Ravens claimed Sammy Watkins again.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2014 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 65 | 982 | 15.1 | 84 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015 | BUF | 13 | 13 | 60 | 1,047 | 17.5 | 63 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | BUF | 8 | 8 | 28 | 430 | 15.4 | 62 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | LAR | 15 | 14 | 39 | 593 | 15.2 | 67 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | KC | 10 | 9 | 40 | 519 | 13.0 | 50 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | KC | 14 | 13 | 52 | 673 | 12.9 | 68T | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020 | KC | 10 | 9 | 37 | 421 | 11.4 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | BAL | 13 | 9 | 27 | 394 | 14.6 | 49 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | GB | 9 | 3 | 13 | 206 | 15.8 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BAL | 3 | 2 | 3 | 119 | 39.7 | 47 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Career | 111 | 96 | 364 | 5,384 | 14.8 | 84 | 34 | 7 | 5 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2017 | LAR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | KC | 2 | 2 | 10 | 176 | 17.6 | 54 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | KC | 3 | 3 | 14 | 288 | 20.6 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | KC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | BAL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 8 | 7 | 27 | 512 | 19.0 | 60 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Family and Recognition
Sammy Watkins has an older half-brother named Jaylen Watkins. Jaylen was also a professional football player, a defensive back. Both Sammy and Jaylen were chosen in the 2014 NFL draft. Sammy has three daughters. He is also the cousin of another wide receiver, Austin Watkins Jr..
On July 11, 2014, Sammy was given the Key to the City of Fort Myers. This is the town where he grew up.
Images for kids
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Watkins with the Buffalo Bills in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Sammy Watkins para niños
