Kansas City Chiefs‘ Sammy Watkins has developed into a solid complementary wide receiver at the NFL level throughout his now six-year professional career. However, any production short of elite is a major disappointment for a player once perceived as a near-generational talent and a draft prospect on par with fellow receivers such as Julio Jones and AJ Green.
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Revisiting the 2014 Wide Receiver Draft Class
The 2014 NFL Draft has gone down in history as one of, if not the best, draft classes for the wide receiver position in league history. In the first round alone you had Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, and Brandin Cooks selected. From that point on, names such as Jarvis Landry, Davante Adams, and Allen Robinson came off the board. However, one thing that all these players have in common, is none heard their names called on draft day before current Chiefs wideout Sammy Watkins.
The Bills Wagered Their Future on Watkins Becoming a Bonafide WR1
Sammy Watkins was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Buffalo Bills, and believe it or not, at the time that was perceived as phenomenal value for a player that many projected being drafted by the then-St. Louis Rams with the second-overall draft pick.
Buffalo moved up on draft day to acquire the services of Watkins, giving up a future first-round pick amongst other puzzle pieces to work their way up from ninth overall to fourth overall. However, the Bills found the steep price to pay chump change at the time in exchange for a talent that they believed would help them get over the hump of mediocrity as they had not been to the playoffs since 1999.
Then Bills General Manager Doug Whaley stated that the trade came at a “very high cost,” but felt that “we thought it was a calculated risk and a risk we were willing to take.” Whaley added, “the high cost of not making the playoffs is something we weighed in and we thought this guy was going to get us to the playoffs.”
Watkins pro career got off to a solid start, averaging 1,014 receiving yards per season over his first two years with a combined 15 touchdowns. However, Watkins’s career in Buffalo would begin to fizzle out, as he missed 11 games over the final two years with the Bills. The stint was marred with inconsistency, some on his end, and some on the guys throwing him the ball.
Buffalo would ultimately never reach a playoff game with Watkins on their roster, and prior to the start of 2017, they made what was a shocking move at the time, dealing Watkins to the Rams for a second-round pick and cornerback EJ Gaines. Fittingly enough, both Watkins and the Bills would reach the playoffs that season.
Watkins has since gone on to reach the postseason in every year since being shipped out of Buffalo, culminating in his first-ever Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl LIV.
In many ways, Watkins’ pre-draft projections and potential precedes his actual on the field abilities. Watkins has not hauled in more than 52 receptions in three straight seasons. That said, he’s still one of the better second-to-third options an NFL offense could have, even if he’s being paid as a first option. In 2019, no wideout made more money than Watkins at $19.2M.
List of Notable Wideouts From the 2014 NFL Draft Class
- Sammy Watkins
- Mike Evans
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Brandin Cooks
- Kelvin Benjamin
- Marquise Lee
- Jordan Matthews
- Paul Richardson
- Davante Adams
- Cody Latimer
- Allen Robinson
- Jarvis Landry
- Donte Moncrief
- John Brown
- Martavis Bryant
- Quincy Enunwa
- Allen Hurns (Undrafted)
- Willie Snead (Undrafted)
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Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins Was the 1st WR Taken in Historic 2014 Draft Class