Social media has been a game-changer for the NFL draft in terms of media coverage, background on players and the ability to connect one-on-one with the next wave of stars in the league. Nobody has leveraged this more than former Clemson wideout Sammy Watkins, who has whipped plenty of fan bases up by posting photos of himself in various teams uniforms.
College Football 24/7 caught up with the top-rated receiver heading into this year's draft and asked him about everything from his idols growing up to the advice he's received on going to the NFL.
You've been pretty active on your Instagram account posting pictures of yourself in teams' uniforms. How did that come about?
Sammy Watkins: Some fans of those teams made them, and being a player, I just wanted to reach out to all those fans. So I just started posting pictures of what they made up. I'll probably be doing that throughout the whole process. If they keep making a jersey of a team, I'll probably keep posting to my Instagram and Twitter.
What do you tell teams you do better than anybody else?
SW: Not much. I think they watch film, so they know what goes on. They're the ones that critique things. The only thing I can do is tell them who I am and what I stand for.
Is there an area where you still feel you need to work on things?
SW:All of my areas. I think you can continue to get better and better over the years. I think that I have a lot of work to do this offseason going to the NFL.
Mike Evans said he was the best wide receiver in the draft. Guess you disagree with him?
SW: Not at all. We young guys always think we're the best at what we do, and I think that's a great thing that he said, because you have to believe in yourself first. All I can say right now is, I'm a No. 1 receiver.
Has there been a question teams keep asking you in the pre-draft process?
SW:Not really anything dramatic. A lot asked if my family is moving with me, what I'm going to do with the money. That's about it.
If you end up with an invite to the draft, will you go to New York City?
SW:Yes, sir. My family is coming, too.
Any visits with teams or private workouts coming up?
SW:As of right now, my schedule isn't really busy with teams. I don't really know but they haven't informed me yet.
You said on 'Path to the Draft' that your favorite team was the Bills. Do you care what team you go to?
SW:Not really. I'm prepared for any program, and I can go in there and play. I can't control that type of stuff. All I can control is keep working on my craft and getting better.
Was there anybody you grew up idolizing in the NFL?
SW:All the greats. And the recent college guys like George Smith, Alshon Jeffrey, DeAndre Hopkins, Percy Harvin. ... I try to mimic my game after all those guys.
Did your former teammate Hopkins give you any advice about the next level?
SW:He gave me a lot of advice, like how fast the game is, how a lot of people say it's this crazy football league but it's simply football that's a lot more competitive and on a bigger stage than what it was in college.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.
