Dwight Jones hears the raves about Sammy Watkins.
"Yep, hear 'em all the time. You can't not hear them," Jones, a senior receiver at North Carolina, said Wednesday.
Watkins, a freshman at Clemson, is arguably the hottest thing afoot in ACC football this season.
On an undefeated team ranked eighth nationally, Watkins is squarely in the discussion for ACC rookie and player of the year awards.
Jones, the league's top-ranked NFL wideout senior prospect, can match Watkins stat for stat.
Through seven UNC games (5-2 overall, 1-2 ACC), the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Jones has 46 catches for 678 yards and eight touchdowns.
The 6-1, 190-pound Watkins, from Fort Myers, Fla., also has 46 receptions for 728 yards and eight TDs.
But Watkins has returned one kickoff for a touchdown, averages almost 31 yards on kickoff returns and has made a big national splash thanks to his team's 7-0, 4-0 start.
With UNC at Clemson on Saturday at noon, the two are certain to keep an eye on each other, although the game within the game will be a secondary consideration both ways.
"I think I'm the best in the league, but I'm sure he thinks he's the best," said Jones, who played in high school at Burlington Cummings.
"It'll be fun to see how we do Saturday, but I don't care about that kind stuff at all if we can just win the game. I'm going to be fired up, though. I promise you that."
UNC cornerback Charles Brown, who will have the coverage assignment on Watkins much of the time, obviously rates his teammate as the league's best.
"But Watkins is great, especially for a freshman," Brown said. "He understands how to run his routes and read coverages. Most freshmen don't get that part of it. A lot of 'em have the speed and the hands and can run certain routes fine. Watkins is more like a third- or fourth-year guy. He's smart."
UNC's total defensive strategy will be interesting to watch.
In a stinging loss to Miami and Jacory Harris last weekend in Chapel Hill, the Heels blitzed very little, even though Hurricane blockers routinely double-teamed top pocket crasher Quinton Coples.
Against Watkins and Tiger quarterback Tajh Boyd, the UNC defense will need to apply pressure from somewhere.
"It's going to take our best game of the season," Brown said. "But the guys on defense know we're capable of going down there and playing the kind of defense we need to win."
Columnist 
Comments
Jones
Sat, 10/22/2011 - 09:47 — SurferUh, have I said this before? D. Jones is a man!
Dwight who?
Sat, 10/22/2011 - 17:10 — mad_max2 catches for 16 yards. Wow, what a player! He's definitely better than Watkins!
When will UNC players learn to keep their mouths shut and focus on winning before announcing themselves as the best?
Dwight Jones
Thu, 10/20/2011 - 19:50 — pressingncaaFunny that there is no disclosure in this article about Jones's path that led him to UNC. Rejected by Clemson, quit at Hargrave, went JC route but got in UNC through a correspondence course at the last minute. Haters, check the facts...
facts
Sat, 10/22/2011 - 09:50 — SurferSo, if those are the facts...not saying they are not, what is the problem? He may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but give him credit for doing what he needed to.
Give the kid a break
Thu, 10/20/2011 - 22:29 — gvillegatrHe got his "high school education" at Burlington Cummings.
But do tell which fine ACC school you root for (an educated man like myself will deduce ClemPson.) I'm sure it will not take too long to find a student-athlete the likes of Dwight Jones on your team.
I imagine I will not be hearing from you.
my guess
Fri, 10/21/2011 - 12:28 — SurferState fan.