New To The Nest: Danny Watkins

Draft Pick: 1st Round (23rd overall)
College: Baylor
Height/Weight: 6-3, 310

With their first round pick the Eagles selected Danny Watkins a guard from Baylor.

"We felt he was as good a football player as there was in the draft," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said. "It's not a glamour position, but it's a position that is crucial to us. He's got a toughness and a blue collar attitude."

Prior to attending Baylor, Watkins earned that blue collar attitude as a part time firefighter in Canada. Watkins then attended Butte College in California to study fire sciences but wound up playing and starting for the football team in his freshman and sophomore years. From there his Butte coaches sent game tapes to many schools including Baylor.

Watkins transferred to Baylor in 2009 and was a standout star in his junior and senior years. He started in all 25 games while at Baylor and won all Big 12 offensive lineman honors and started in the 2011 Senior Bowl.

While Watkins played tackle during his time at Baylor he is expected to shift to guard for the Eagles. Watkins is great on the run block and should add depth to this depleted Eagles O-Line.

Many people were frustrated with the selection of Watkins primarily because of his age. At 26 years old, Watkins is the oldest rookie drafted since 1980. Also Watkins only has 4 years of football experience. He first started playing in 2007 while at Butte, and is still relatively new to the game of football. But I think his age is a good thing because he is fresh. He started in all of his games in college and should be reliable and injury free for the Eagles.

Watkins' agent Joe Panos had this to say about his client:

"Every football player's body can only take so many hits. Danny hasn't had any surgeries," Panos says. "The kids he's competing against have had at least twice as many hits."

"He'll come to training camp and start immediately. You coach him once and he picks it up."

Overall I like the addition of Danny Watkins. By drafting an offensive lineman in the first round the Eagles know that the protection of Michael Vick is a top priority. The Eagles can't afford to have Vick get banged around game after game. Watkins should do a good job of helping to protect Vick and overall adding depth to this Eagles team.