26-year-old ex-firefighter Danny Watkins has a new job, after being selected 23rd overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2011 NFL Draft: Protect Mike Vick. Watkins is the second offensive lineman from Baylor to go in the first round, after Phil Taylor went to the Cleveland Browns. Given Watkins’s age the Eagles have to expect him to be ready now, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage; they won’t be looking for a lot of upside from this pick.

A former junior college player and a trained firefighter, Watkins is one of the best stories in football, but Bleeding Green Nation is extremely worried about his advanced age and the possibility that he won’t get any better than he is at this very moment.

Regardless, Danny Watkins is now an average-sized offensive lineman, instead of an enormous firefighter. So instead of rescuing cats from trees, he’s rescuing a guy who killed dogs from defensive ends.

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