Jason Watkins

Watkins (77) with the Florida Gators in 2008
Personal information
Born:	(1985-07-10) July 10, 1985 (age 38) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lake Gibson (Lakeland, Florida)
College:	Florida
Position:	Offensive tackle
Undrafted:	2009
Career history
Houston Texans (2009)* New York Sentinels (2009) Buffalo Bills (2009–2010)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
BCS national champion (2007, 2009)
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Jason Watkins (born July 10, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and United Football League (UFL). He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Florida.

Watkins was also a member of the New York Sentinels and Buffalo Bills.

Early years

Watkins was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, Florida as a junior and senior, playing football only two years and earning Class 4A all-state, all-county and all-conference first-team accolades as a senior. He participated in the 2003 Cali-Florida Bowl.^[1]

College career

Watkins received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2005 to 2008. Watkins helped the Gators win two National Championships (2006 and 2008) as member of the offensive line that paved the way for Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow.

In his senior season, Watkins was named honorable mention All-Southeastern Conference by the Associated Press, as he produced 78 knockdowns to go with 12 touchdown-resulting blocks. He graded 81.71% and was part of a front wall that gave up just 16 sacks. The Gators went on to capture the national title behind an offense that averaged 445.07 yards and 43.64 points per game^[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Houston Texans

Watkins was signed on April 28, 2009 by the Houston Texans after going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was waived on September 5.

New York Sentinels

Watkins played for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League in 2009.

Buffalo Bills

After playing in the UFL, Watkins was signed to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad on November 24. After his contract expired following the season, he was re-signed to a future contract on January 5, 2010.