RD 7 (255th): Quez Watkins – WR, Southern Miss
I was unaware of this before doing the draft, but the New York Giants currently own the rights to drafting this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant”. Despite being the final overall pick in the entire 2020 NFL Draft, I opted to go with a high upside wide receiver from a small school when I selected Quez Watkins out of Southern Mississippi.
I was hoping to add a red zone target such as Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool earlier in the draft, but Claypool and some of the other comparable big-bodied wide receivers began going off the board at a time where I felt that the Giants needed to address larger needs on their roster.
So with the final selection for the Giants and in the draft, I opted to go with the speedy Watkins. The 6′ tall and 185-pound wideout ran a 4.35 second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which was second only to likely first-round draft pick Henry Ruggs III of Alabama.
Watkins led the Conference-USA in receiving yards with 1,178 on 64 receptions. Those numbers were good for an average of 18.4 yards per reception, which is indicative of how dynamic of a receiver Watkins was at Southern Miss.
It is likely that Watkins was still on the board with the last pick due to the fact that this draft is loaded with elite wide receiver talent and Watkins is coming from a smaller school. In other years, he is likely a fourth or fifth-round pick at worst.
Adding Watkins gives the Giants another speedy receiver to add to the wide receiving group consisting of Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Golden Tate, Corey Coleman, and Cody Core. He is likely a depth piece and special teams contributor in the onset, but with his adequate size and elite speed, he could develop into a playmaker for the Giants down the road. With the last pick in the draft that’s a solid value.