PITTSFORD, N.Y. — The Bills had Sammy Watkins No. 1 on their entire draft board last spring, and it’s already easy to see why.
Just three days into his first NFL training camp, the former Clemson wide receiver is turning heads and leaving Buffalo’s playoff-starved fans giddy at the possibilities.
It’s not just the fans who are excited, either. Though stressing context and pleading for patience, Bills coach Doug Marrone barely could seem to contain himself Monday after Watkins put on a dazzling show in workouts.
“He’s made plays in this camp — you guys have seen it,” Marrone said after a two-hour practice here at St. John Fisher College. “We just need to make sure we continue developing him. He’s a good football player, and I think it’s [a situation] that, you sit there …”
Marrone paused and smiled, his mind appearing to drift off momentarily as he pondered all the things Watkins could do for a Buffalo team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1999 — the longest postseason drought in the NFL.
“The guy is making plays,” Marrone said, snapping back into the moment. “A lot of people are excited.”
They’re excited because Watkins looked like a star from virtually the first snap of the first day of training camp Sunday, then turned up the volume Monday with a series of highlight-reel catches against Buffalo’s starting defense.
Watkins caught everything EJ Manuel threw his way the first two days, including one play in which he spun the opposing cornerback around like a top with a fearsome double move before easily hauling in a wide-open 60-yard touchdown in 11-on-11 drills.
Watkins even made the difficult plays look simple, coming out of nowhere to snatch a tipped ball out of the air and away from three defenders on another 11-on-11 play.
With the Bills having traded star wideout Stevie Johnson in the offseason, Watkins already looks so integral to the Bills’ 2014 hopes that the large crowd Monday gasped and turned instantly silent when Watkins was briefly sidelined by a finger to his eye on the deflected ball.
When Watkins returned the field about 10 minutes later, a Bills fan stood up and screamed: “Don’t scare us like that, Sammy!”
“He’s going against good players,” Marrone said of the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Watkins. “He’s working with the first team, so he’s going against our corners and all of our guys.”
Bills general manager Doug Whaley said this week Buffalo had Watkins rated ahead of even eventual No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney on its draft board after Watkins left school early and ran a blistering 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.
The Bills even talked with the Texans about trading up into the top spot to take Watkins before settling on the Browns at No. 4, sending the ninth overall pick and first- and fourth-rounders in 2015 to nab him.
In addition to his speed and the huge numbers he posted at Clemson, Watkins also enthralled the Bills with his devotion to the game (he is a film-room warrior, according to scouts) and his willingness to go over the middle.
If Watkins is feeling the weight of 14 years of fan frustration in Buffalo on his shoulders, he doesn’t show it.
“Not at all,” Watkins said when asked if there is pressure to stand out right away. “We’ve got a great team, and I’ve got a great wide-receiver core helping me out. So there’s not really any pressure. I just have to come out here and have fun and keep doing what I’ve been doing, perfecting my craft.”