He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

Watkins has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Washington Commanders.

As a sophomore in 2013, he played in three games with one start, before being involved in a car crash which caused blood clots in both of his legs that ended his season.

As a junior in 2015, he started 14 of 15 games, collecting 69 tackles (8 for loss), 3.5 sacks, and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown.

[6] In a critical game against the University of Notre Dame, he made a game-winning tackle on a last second two-point conversion attempt.

[7] 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, with him making six total tackles.

In 2019, he appeared in 10 games with one start, posting 23 tackles (one for loss), one sack, 2 quarterback hits, one pass defensed and one fumble recovery.

[14][15] He appeared in 15 games with a career-high 14 starts, while making 32 tackles (4 for loss), one sack, one interception and one pass breakup.

On December 2, 2021, Watkins intercepted a pass from New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill and returned it 29 yards for his first NFL touchdown.

[24] On September 18, 2024, the Cowboys signed Watkins to their active roster off the Commanders' practice squad.