Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins: prospects for 2019 after playing with the Jaguars

The Kansas City Chiefs crossed the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense on Sunday, scoring 40 points, including three touchdowns. The three touchdowns were Patrick Mahomes' passes to Sammy Watkins, and that may have been the case. less impressive part about the performance of Watkins.

Tyreek Hill left the game due to a shoulder injury in the first quarter, leaving Watkins as the wide receiver of the team; In fact, he was the only wide receiver to have captured more than one pass after Hill's exit. Despite offering the only real threat to the wide receiver, Watkins managed to catch the three touchdowns, nine catches and 198 yards above against one of the NFL's most talented cornerback duets.

Whether against Jalen Ramsey or AJ Bouye, or at the center of the Jaguars defense, Watkins has always been able to create a split and gain ground after the restart. With the news coming that Tyreek Hill is going to be out for four to six weeks, the pressure will be exerted on Watkins to stay healthy and continue to produce as a high-end receiver.

It is clear that he has talent, but the question must be asked:

Was it an instant performance? Or is all the hype around his low season workout program and the comforts of the Chiefs offensive remain true?

This week at the AP Lab, we will immerse ourselves in Watkins' performances and try to answer this looming question, given its importance over the next month or so.

Sammy Watkins

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY HUI Sports

Andy Reid's offense has been the subject of much discussion: each broad receiver must learn each position and this creates a longer learning curve, even for novice veterans.

Tyreek Hill is most often used as a wide receiver Z – or flanker who plays off-line scrimmage – and the Chiefs have adopted the wide X receiver – wide-holder who often lines up the line of scrimmage – in recent years. While he was with the Los Angeles Rams, Watkins had a reputation for being a wide and deep receiver based solely on a very weighty use, but in Kansas City that role was already filled. With the Chiefs, Watkins has been asked to play a lot more of X wide wide receiver and he seems to want to be fully positive and excel in that role as he spends more time there.

Watkins works on the short side of the field, with minimal space given the proximity of the leaders to the end zone. Watkins is opposed to one of the top corner defenders in the NFL in Jalen Ramsey, but that just does not matter. He beats the press with excellent running and physics, then creates the ideal launch window to allow Mahomes to throw the ball.

The ability to beat press coverage in such a short field is incredibly impressive, but is also a highly sought after trait of a wide X receiver that will often be used in these situations. Offensive training personnel also deserve our recognition, as Watkins is often used in the middle of the field in the red zone.

Whether it is at an angle, in a square or at the end of the course, he has the size and the physical aspect to play in the middle of the field. The whip track here is well sold by Watkins, but the previously established trend makes Ramsey's job easier.

Road in progress

Another example of the leaders who used Watkins on the line of scrimmage as a classic wide X receiver is this time against AJ Bouye's press coverage.

Thanks to the film study, Watkins is certain that Bouye is not ready to intervene, so he uses a shutter release at zero speed. He puts his foot back on the balance but does not move, just showing a slight inward tilt that allows him to disengage.

Using speed release, he is able to eat the ground as fast as possible and bring Bouye to turn his hips without his hands on Watkins. It's a good drop of hip because it breaks the loop and is wide open. Then, once Watkins has the ball, he immediately turns into a runner and uses his power and size to attack forward for another eight meters.

Hands

One of the main roles of a wide receiver of possession is the ability to make difficult and contentious catches, especially in the middle of the field.

The ability to excel on slopes and on roads is essential to the success of a wide receiver. The routes will often lead a player in the linebackers or the safeties. Although there is no defenseman directly in the running for this pass, Watkins knows a defender is fast approaching from behind him and he is not weakening. Instead, he uses a perfect technique while settling into the hole in the area and extending to the ball at the top. Moreover, since he slowed, the ball was in front of him, which allowed him to use the momentum of the recovery to place the football and get up.

Where Watkins can really separate from the traditional X Wide receiver is its unique combination of sport and size. It seems not only faster, but also faster in 2019, which should allow it to take shorter receptions for much larger gains.

Yards after capture

The design of the game makes the vast majority of the work here.

The game action followed by the appearance of the boot based on road distribution and anti-lock protection allows the Jaguars defense to gain ground. Watkins then slips onto a trailing road – drag in a wheel-road – and it's left wide open. The two things that Watkins does perfectly well here are to avoid Myles Jack's attempt to re-route and then follow the ball to perfection so he can grab it on the stride and go straight to the acceleration.

Watkins has always been fast, but there seemed to be another level at his maximum speed in this limited sample size provided during a single game.

Here is a better example of Watkins' look this year. After catching him, he lowers his shoulders and accelerates along the sideline, forcing the cornerback to do the same to try not to lose the race along the sideline. Watkins then presses the brakes one step and manages to pop the sideline for 10 more yards.

This rare explosiveness and speed makes Watkins a special athletic and size mix for the wide-angle receiver and, ultimately, an extremely dangerous weapon.

Vertical connection

Let's be clear here: Watkins was do not Perfect against the Jaguars – he missed a block on the Hardman dropout screen, but Mahomes and Watkins must continue to work on this.

The fault of this unfinability is probably more related to the blocking than Watkins or Mahomes, but it is a connection that was not present in 2018 either. Mahomes and Watkins have been very successful at connecting on horizontal break routes, short routes and moderately deep routes, but their vertical connection is still in progress.

With the extra year, this should continue to improve, but it is a trait that could allow Watkins to be among the largest receivers.

The bottom line

Let's go back to the question of what this game means for the future of Watkins.

When he was watching Watkins through the narrow expanse of an X-wide receiver, he was doing everything that one could expect from a possession receiver. The ability to beat the press coverage with its race route or strength forces even the best cornerbacks.

Watkins seems to really stand out in early 2019, that's how much he looks like his Clemson and Buffalo form at the start of his athletics. Being able to beat that press coverage, then turning a short gain into a much larger gain is what makes the quality of broad spectrum receivers an elite.

To answer our question directly, Watkins' hype during the off-season seems quite real and fans of Chiefs should buy it.

The comfort level of this attack with an improvement in athletics was at its peak in Week 1. The Chiefs will need this level of performance from Watkins over the next month, but as long as his health will prevail, he should easily maintain WR1 level performance.