The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL draft.
After trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for the 22nd and 53rd overall picks, the Green Bay Packers need to reload at the wide receiver position.
If it weren’t for the Atlanta Falcons, the group of Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and Amari Rodgers could stake claim to the worst wide receiver depth chart in the NFL.
A rookie wide receiver isn’t going to turn the ugly duckling into a swan, but the 2022 NFL draft offers Brian Gutekunst a chance to start the remodeling process of the wide receiver room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.
A wide receiver that Green Bay’s general manager could target in the upcoming draft is Christian Watson. The North Dakota State University wide receiver checks in at No. 8 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
Watson, a two-star recruit out of Florida, finished his career at NDSU with 31 starts. As a redshirt sophomore in 2019, Watson recorded 34 receptions for 732 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 21.5 yards per reception and led the team in receiving yards. The dynamic playmaker added one rushing touchdown.
In 2020, Watson caught 19 passes for 442 yards. He averaged 23.3 yards per reception and once again led the team in receiving yards. The Florida native also returned two kickoffs back for touchdowns.
Despite missing three games in 2021, Watson hauled in 43 passes for 801 yards and seven touchdowns. Watson added one rushing touchdown to his stat line.
Watson has a rare combination of size and speed. At 6-4, with 4.36 speed, Watson can challenge cornerbacks vertically. He chews up grass with his long strides and is able to get on top of cornerbacks. With his length, leaping ability and ball tracking skills, Watson has a huge catch radius and is going to win a lot of 50/50 balls downfield.
“Watson has enough speed to threaten defenses downfield,” Mark Schofield of The Touchdown Wire said. “He tested extremely well at the combine, as reflected by his impressive 9.98 Relative Athletic Score, and posting a 4.36 40-yard dash certainly checks off the speed part of the resume. Another aspect to his game that will help downfield is his catch radius, and his ball-tracking skills. Watson has the ability to track the football over his shoulder and make those difficult catches in traffic, and that is a huge part of being a downfield threat at the next level.”
Watson has juice after the catch. He’s an explosive athlete with a track background. It was no accident that he averaged over 20 yards per reception during his time in Fargo. He’s able to take short passes and turn them into chunk plays with his speed. There is a play against Valparaiso this past season where he took a jet sweep and took it to the house for a 65-yard touchdown. According to PFF, Watson averaged eight yards after the catch this past season.
“This is another one of his strengths,” Schofield said. “Watson is very impressive after the catch, and can beat you in a few different ways. For a bigger receiver, he is surprisingly elusive with the football in his hands, and has made defenders miss on film. But his size and strength also makes him tough for smaller defenders in the open field. Of course, making the jump from the FCS to the NFL might level that playing field a bit, but Watson showed these traits at the Senior Bowl as well.”
As a route runner, Watson will need some polishing around the edges. However, he accelerates smoothly off the line of scrimmage to quickly enter his route. Watson has good lower body twitch and is able to explode in and out of his cuts to create separation.
“Route running is an area where I would describe him as solid, with room to grow,” Schofield said. “He has some nuance to his routes, and can use head fakes, leans, shoulder movements and other ways to help sell defenders on routes before breaking away from their leverage. He is also adept at using his size and frame to work himself open late in the play, or against tighter coverage. Learning to sink his hips more on routes, which might be a tough ask, given his size.”
Watson can be utilized in a variety of ways. He can line up out of the backfield, in the slot, on the boundary. He was utilized on jet sweeps and bubble screens. With his size and speed, his usage is only limited by the offensive coordinator’s imagination.
Playing in NDSU’s pro-style, run-heavy offense, unsurprisingly, Watson is a very good blocker out on the perimeter. With his frame, he’s able to not only get in the way of defensive backs, but drive them downfield.
A step up in competition didn’t seem to be an issue for Watson during Senior Bowl Week. The NDSU playmaker was voted top wide receiver on the National team for his efforts during practice.
From PFF:
“Watson needed the Senior Bowl purely from a tape perspective. He hailed from a North Dakota State offense that had him run a grand total of 348 routes over the last two seasons. For context, 130 FBS wide receivers ran more routes than that in 2021 alone. Watson showed an ability to defeat press coverage that you rarely see from a 6-foot-4 wide receiver.”
As a rookie, Watson will provide an immediate impact as a kick returner. He finished his career in Fargo with two kickoff return touchdowns and averaged 26.4 yards per kick return.
“The potential for Watson to contribute on special teams is another part of the package,” Schofield said. “His ability after the catch translates well to the return game, and we saw that on the field for the Bison. I would imagine the team that drafts him, whether Green Bay or another franchise, will look to get him involved on special teams early in his career.”
Over the past two seasons, Watson has been credited with 12 drops. Does he have inconsistent hands? Or does he suffer from concentration drops? Or was it the fact that he was looking to turn upfield before securing the catch?
“I tend to side with Matt Harmon, who does tremendous work covering wide receivers for both Yahoo and his Reception Perception, when it comes to drops,” Schofield said. “As Matt puts it, drops are a bit noisy. The technique from Watson is there at the catch point, I think the drops were sometimes due to a lack of concentration or as you suggest a desire to catch and turn upfield, and make that quick transition from receiver to runner.”
Fit with the Packers
The NDSU wide receiver checks all the boxes with his size (6-4), speed (4.36), blocking, leaping ability (38.5 inch vertical) and special teams value as a return man. He’s an explosive playmaker that Matt LaFleur could use in a variety of ways.
“I think Watson offers NFL franchises a potential X-type of receiver who can win downfield and working over the middle, while adding some big-play potential in the quick passing game thanks to what he can do after the reception,” Schofield said. “I think specifically in Green Bay, his route tree on day one is a fit for what the Packers look to accomplish in the passing game. He can give the Packers a vertical element, but also those shallow crossers and other routes that pair with their play-action designs, are a big part of what he offers. I think the fit of Watson in Green Bay makes a great deal of sense.”
The Packers need an infusion of young talent at the wide receiver position. The Packers could target Watson with one of their two second round picks or if they feel so inclined they could move up on day two to snag the dynamic playmaker.
As a rookie, Watson could give Green Bay’s kick return game a much needed shot in the arm. On the offensive side of the ball, Watson would give the Packers a much-needed vertical threat. He could also be utilized as a moveable chess piece. LaFleur could dial up manufactured touches for him to get the ball in his hands and let him put stress on the defense with his quickness.
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