Carlos Watkins


Carlos Watkins is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He played college football at Clemson.

Early years

Watkins attended Chase High School in Forest City, North Carolina. He committed to Clemson University to play college football.

College career

As a freshman at Clemson in 2012, Watkins played in nine games, recording 13 tackles. In 2013, he played in three games before being involved in a car crash which caused blood clots in both of his legs that ended his season. Watkins medically redshirted the rest of the season and returned to play in 11 games in 2014. As a junior in 2015, he started 14 of 15 games, recording 34 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown. He was named first-team All-ACC. As a senior, Watkins was named an All-ACC for the second consecutive year. On January 9, 2017, Watkins was part of the Clemson team that defeated Alabama in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship by a score of 35–31. In the game, he recorded six total tackles.

Professional career

Watkins was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round, 142nd overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Texans acquired the pick by trading Brock Osweiler to the Cleveland Browns.