Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst packaged both of his picks in the second round to move up to No. 34 overall and select North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson with the second pick in the second round on Friday.
Gutekunst said the Packers entertained moving back into the first round on Thursday night to get Watson but didn’t find the right deal. With extra time after the first round and throughout the day on Friday, the Packers had multiple conversations with teams before deciding to send picks No. 53 and No. 59 to the Minnesota Vikings for the chance to take Watson at No. 34.
Why did Gutekunst move up so aggressively for Watson?
“He’s a big, fast, physical receiver. We think his best football is ahead of him,” Gutekunst said. “We brought him in for one of our 30 visits, got a chance to spend a lot of time with him. Really smart kid who we feel will fit our culture. He’s got really good tape, his athletic traits are off the charts, and the more we got to know him as a person, we felt really good about him.”
Watson gives the Packers a young, developmental receiver that the roster desperately needed.
Gutekunst thought he had to get high in the second round to have a chance to select Watson, and he was comfortable spending two “premium” picks to get it done. After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their pick at No. 33 to open the second round, Gutekunst made the move.
Watson is one of the best athletes in the draft class. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which factors in athleticism relative to size, finished at 9.96 out of 10.0.
“Size and speed is important to us,” Gutekunst said.
In terms of role, Gutekunst said there could be “some carryover” in terms of Watson taking over some of Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s snaps as the offense’s top deep threat. Watson and Valdes-Scantling have different body types, but the speed is comparable. In fact, Watson might even be a little faster.
Gutekunst called Watson a “late bloomer” as a football player who is coming from a “high-level” program at NDSU.
Any worries about drops?
“I feel good about his hands. There will be a transition time here,” Gutekunst said, noting other young receivers in Green Bay, such as Davante Adams, James Jones and Randall Cobb, all had some drop issues early in their NFL career. “I’m not worried about that.”
Any worries about his production or play time?
“If you watched the tape, he was the guy,” Gutekunst said. “Different teams do different rotations with their receivers, but there’s no doubt he was the guy.”
Gutekunst said Watson, an All-American returner as a junior, has the ability to return kicks and handle other roles on special teams if need be.
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