After a first round that saw the Green Bay Packers draft two defensive players out of Georgia, the Packers wasted no time on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Fans were waiting to see who Green Bay drafted at wide receiver, and they traded up to the 34th pick in the draft to select Christian Watson, wide receiver out of North Dakota State.
This is a wide receiver that has been rumored to Green Bay for some time.
Packers Draft Trade: Green Bay Moves Up to Take Christian Watson
Surprisingly, the 34th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft has been making its way around the NFC North. First, the Detroit Lions traded it to the Minnesota Vikings in order to move up for Jameson Williams. Now, the Packers trade for the pick in order to get a receiver of their own.
Unfortunately, they traded away both of their second-round draft picks, No. 53 and 59, to do it.
Who is Christian Watson, Wide Receiver From North Dakota State?
This is the question many may be asking. Christian Watson is a 6-4, 208-pound wide receiver that clearly has the build to become a solid outside wide receiver in the NFL, which is a hole the Packers had. He is an elite all-around athlete, performing as one of the best pre-draft testers ever. However, pre-draft testing doesn’t win championships, so what kind of player is he?
Watson is smooth, has great acceleration and he clearly has a big catch radius. However, he is yet another project for the Green Bay Packers, and they haven’t shown the ability to truly develop wide receivers.
His route-running is raw. He also consistently miss-times leaps for catches, and he lacks focus at the catch, leading to drops. In college, Watson never used his size to his advantage, and this was at NDSU. This will be made worse in the NFL.
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How Do We Feel About the Christian Watson Packers Draft Pick?
Clearly, Christian Watson brings a ton of potential to the Green Bay Packers. We continue to say this. The Packers continue to draft for two or three years down the line, since it’s the Packers’ philosophy that rookies should not have a major role. However, it’s 2022, so that’s not true, especially at the wide receiver position.
The Packers also have an incredibly small window to win a Super Bowl, and Brian Gutekunst is more obsessed with looking two years down the line, which he has openly admitted. Job security is a higher priority to him, so Packer fans should not consider themselves a Super Bowl team this season. That’s what this draft class will say when it’s all said and done.
Overall, I like Christian Watson. He just needs to be coached up. As for the trade? Bad. A draft grade for each pick will be out tonight.
