Quez Watkins, Casey Toohill talk their roles with the Eagles, teammates, and more

Two more of the Eagles’ Day 3 draft picks spoke to the media after practice on Sunday afternoon: Quez Watkins and Casey Toohill.

Here’s what they had to say:

Quez Watkins

On his game and role

The rookie wide receiver is super fast, but other than speed, “I just want show coaches that I can get in and out of my breaks, and can run a full route tree”.

As far as his role, Watkins said that they have to know the whole playbook so they can be moved around, and that he isn’t focusing on just one position. The coaches are really working on breaking down his fundamentals. He’d also “love to continue to play special teams, and kick return”, but he’s just focused on whatever role the coaches want him in.

On the rookie WR group

Watkins echoed what the other receiver rookies said about bonding as a group. He noted that they’re all in the same room everyday and they’re helping each other out. They haven’t all raced yet, but when asked who would win, he claimed, “most likely me”.

The rookie said that he understands where Marquise Goodwin was coming from when deciding to opt-out, but said that there’s a lot of competition at the position even without Goodwin.

Watkins and DeSean Jackson have had conversations, and the rookie is hoping to learn how to be a pro from the veteran.

Casey Toohill

On COVID precautions

This offseason more than ever they have to stay in their little bubble, and he’d love to see his family, but only when it’s permitted and if it’s safe. This includes not being able to fully explore the city, and probably won’t anytime soon. In the evenings, instead, they might have dinner and just continue mental work and recovery work for the next day.

On no preseason games

“I was definitely disappointed for a second, but at the end of the day, with everything going on, everyone has to make adjustments and it’s an unprecedented time.”

But, he’s not going to use that as any kind of excuse, and they just have to put in extra work and pay more attention to detail in meetings. Toohill also said that the virtual meetings this spring were different, but they were still able to get a lot out of it — and that they could get a sense of the coaches personalities.

On his role

They’re not really focusing on a specific role for Toohill, but just working on his technique and learning the playbook.

With so many defensive ends and only so many roster spots, the rookie said he just needs to go in and handle his business everyday, and if he continues to improve, he’ll be happy. Those improvements, he later said, are more than just physically, and he tries to self-evaluate everyday.

The DE is 255 pounds and he’s still working on gaining weight — maybe up to 10 more pounds — without affecting his quickness.

Toohill hasn’t had much interaction with the veterans, but he’s looking forward to the in-person and on-field work with those guys.

Note: Prince Tega Wanogho was originally scheduled to speak but the Eagles had to postpone his presser due to timing issues.