Tag: elite athletes

50 elite athletes the Packers could target on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft

The Packers have picked four elite athletes during the first two days of the 2022 draft. Here are 50 elite athletes they could target on Day 3.

The Green Bay Packers selected four elite athletes during the first two days of the 2022 NFL draft. If you consider third-round pick Sean Rhyan to be a guard, then the Packers picked four players in the 93rd percentile or better for relative athleticism at their respective positions.

“Size and speed is important to us,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said Friday night.

The Packers’ work through the first three rounds follows a continuing trend under Gutekunst. The roster-builder of this team wants top athletes.

With Day 3 of the draft approaching and the Packers holding six picks between Rounds 4-7, here are 50 elite athletes (RAS over 9.0) that Gutekunst could target on Saturday:

TE Daniel Bellinger, San Diego State
DL Thomas Booker, Stanford
LB Darrian Beavers, Cincinnati
RB Pierre Strong Jr., South Dakota State
WR Bo Melton, Rutgers
OLB Jeffery Gunter, Coastal Carolina
LB Brandon Smith, Penn State
OT Kellen Diesch, Arizona State
TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
WR Kevin Austin Jr., Notre Dame
RB Tyler Goodson, Iowa
DL Eric Johnson, Missouri State
S Markquese Bell, Florida A&M
OLB Amare Barno, Virginia Tech
LB D’Marco Jackson, App. State
CB Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State
OT Ryan Van Denmark, UConn
DL Matt Henningsen, Wisconsin
OT Matt Waletzko, North Dakota
S Tycen Anderson, Toledo
OL Zach Tom, Wake Forest
LB Jeremiah Moon, Florida
OL Blaise Andries, Minnesota
OLB Isaiah Thomas, Oklahoma
LB Damone Clark, LSU
CB Tariq Woolen, UTSA
S Bubba Bolden, Miami
WR Isaiah Weston, Northern Iowa
LB Micah McFadden, Indiana
TE Lucas Krull, Pittsburgh
OL Dawson Deaton, Texas Tech
CB Joshua Williams, Fayetteville State
OT Nick Zakelj, Fordham
OLB Dominique Robinson, Miami (Ohio)
LB Chance Campbell, Ole Miss
CB Josh Thompson, Texas
CB Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State
CB Jaylen Watson, Washington State
OL Jason Poe, Mercer
S Dane Belton, Iowa
OT Cordell Volson, North Dakota State
RB Zamir White, Georgia
OL Luke Wattenberg, Washington
CB Jaylyn Armour-Davis, Alabama
LS Billy Taylor, Rutgers
WR Dareke Young, Lenoir-Rhyne
S Isaac Taylor-Stuart, USC
DL Curtis Brooks, Cincinnati
FB John Chenal, Wisconsin
LB Jack Cochrane, South Dakota
LB Baylon Spector, Clemson
CB Chase Lucas, Arizona State
WR Tanner Conner, Idaho State

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Packers get another elite athlete in WR Christian Watson

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst continues to add elite athletes to his roster during the draft.

No one loves elite athletes in the draft quite like Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst.

After taking two of the most athletic defensive front seven players in the 2022 NFL draft class during the first round on Thursday night, Gutekunst and the Packers traded up in the second round to get one of the most athletic wide receiver prospects ever to enter the NFL to kick off Friday.

North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson, the 34th overall pick, joined Georgia linebacker Quay Walker (No. 22) and Georgia defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt (No. 28) to form a truly elite trio of athletes that will headline the Packers’ 2022 draft class.

Relative Athletic Score is a measure created by Kent Lee Platte to measure the true athleticism of prospects in relation to size and compared to past players.

Walker, Wyatt and Watson all tested out at 9.5 out of 10 or higher, meaning all three are 95 percentile athletes or better at their respective positions.

Watson checks in in the 99th percentile for athleticism among receivers entering the NFL. He combined great size with elite explosion numbers (vertical, broad jump), elite speed (40-yard dash) and good agility. Even at 6-4, he hit 38.5″ in the vertical jump (91st percentile), covered 11-4 in the broad jump (99th percentile), finished the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds (97th percentile) and had a 10-yard split of 1.45 seconds (99th percentile).

Who are the best athletic comparisons for Watson? Check them out below:

Receivers as athletic as Watson usually pan out. He’ll have a chance to be very, very good. Javon Walker, the Packers’ last first-round pick at wide receiver, is actually a terrific comparison.

Watson is just an alien athlete. Here’s his spider chart at Mockdraftable:

The Packers got themselves a rare and exciting athlete with their highest pick at wide receiver since Walker in 2002.

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