PROVO -- BYU senior Todd Watkins was drafted on Sunday by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Watkins, a 6-foot-2, 201-pound receiver was the 10th pick in the final round, marking the 218th overall selection in this year's draft.
"I'm excited for Todd and for the opportunity that lies ahead for him," BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I'm certain he'll make the most of this opportunity. As a coaching staff, we're excited for him and wish him all the best."
Watkins, a native of San Diego, Calif., started all 12 games for the Cougars last season, recording 49 receptions for 678 yards. Clocked between 4.38 and 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash, Watkins posted a career-high nine touchdown receptions in 2005, including a fourth-quarter touchdown against California in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl to cut the Cal advantage to just seven points late in the game.
After transferring to BYU from Grossmont JC in 2004, Watkins made an immediate impact in Provo. In his first season at BYU, Watkins earned All-Mountain West first-team honors with a league-best 52 receptions for 1,042 yards, including five 100-yard games. During the season, he was named the nation's top deep threat by Sports Illustrated. He posted touchdowns of 68, 69, 70 and 79 yards as a junior.
Watkins, who played at Helix High School in San Diego with the likes of Reggie Bush and Alex Smith, is the first wide receiver from BYU to be selected in the NFL Draft since Mark Bellini was picked by Indianapolis in the seventh round of the 1987 draft. (Ben Cahoon was drafted in 1998 during the first round of the Canadian Football League draft.) Watkins was one of 42 wide receivers selected in this year's draft.
He is the first player from BYU to be drafted by the Cardinals since Tevita Ofahengaue in 2001. It is only the third time since 1997 only one player from BYU has been selected in the NFL Draft.