Jaylen Watkins (born November 27, 1991) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. He was selected by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

in the fourth round of the

2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

Early life

A native of

Cape Coral, Florida Cape Coral is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. Founded in 1957, the city's population had grown to 194,016 as of the 2020 census, a 26% increase from 154,309 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-most p ...

, Watkins attended Cape Coral High School. He played

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

at Cape Coral, leading his team to an 11–1 record in his senior season, advancing to the

FHSAA The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is a not-for-profit organization designated by the Florida Legislature as the governing organization to regulate all interscholastic activities of high schools in Florida. It is a member of ...

4A Regional semifinals. He passed for 1,230 yards and 13

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

as a senior and

rushed ''Rushed'' (also known as ''A Mother's Fury'' in the United Kingdom) is a 2021 American thriller film directed by Vibeke Muasya. It stars Siobhan Fallon Hogan (who also wrote the screenplay and served as a co-producer) and Robert Patrick. Plot Ji ...

for 928 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also had 29 receptions for 461 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran track at Cape Coral and advanced to the 4A Track Championships in the 4 × 100 relay. He was selected to play in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. Considered a four-star recruit by

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, he was rated as the fourth best

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

prospect in his class.

College career

Watkins attended the

from 2010 to 2013. He appeared in 48 games, with 28 starts, at both cornerback and

. He primarily played

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

as a freshman, before earning an increased role in the defense as a sophomore and throughout his tenure at Florida. During his career, he accumulated 133

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, including four for loss, 21

pass breakup In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

s and three

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles (first stint)

Watkins was selected by the

in the fourth round (101st overall) of the

. On September 5, 2015, Watkins was released by the Eagles.

Buffalo Bills

On September 7, 2015, Watkins was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

and practiced with his brother

Sammy Watkins Sammy Watkins (born June 14, 1993) is a former American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, twice earning first-team All-American honors. Watkins was selected by the Buffalo Bills fourth overal ...

Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

On November 27, 2015, Watkins was re-signed by the Eagles off the Bills' practice squad. On March 4, 2017, Watkins signed a one-year extension with the Eagles. Watkins won a

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ring offers a collectible memento for the actual players and t ...

when the Eagles defeated the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. As a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX from 13 years earlier, the game was between the National Football Conferen ...

Los Angeles Chargers (first stint)

On March 30, 2018, Watkins signed a one-year contract with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. In the Chargers' second preseason game, Watkins suffered a

torn ACL An anterior cruciate ligament injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is either stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. The most common injury is a complete tear. Symptoms include pain, an audible cracking sound during in ...

and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on August 19, 2018. On February 15, 2019, Watkins re-signed with the Chargers.

Houston Texans

On March 30, 2020, Watkins signed a two-year contract with the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. He was released on September 5, 2020.

Los Angeles Chargers (second stint)

On November 7, 2020, Watkins was signed to the Chargers' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 21 and December 17 for the team's weeks 11 and 15 games against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

and

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On January 1, 2021, Watkins was promoted to the active roster.

Personal life

He is the older half-brother of

References

External links

TwitterRotoworld profileFlorida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Jaylen Living people 1991 births Sportspeople from Cape Coral, Florida Players of American football from Lee County, Florida American football cornerbacks Florida Gators football players Philadelphia Eagles players Buffalo Bills players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Los Angeles Chargers players