The Packers certainly have added some athletic freaks to their roster. Walker, Watson etc.

If you haven't seen Tyler Goodson in action, you need to check him out. Aaron Jones and Swerve all wrapped up in one. Impressive!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIfz8_RDcBY

This is the one pick that makes me nervous given that we gave up two #2s for him. Love the measurables and athleticism but it seems like he has a long ways to go to be a fully polished and functional NFL wide-out. It may not take him a few years to come into his own - about the same time Rodgers decides to call it a career.

I'd like to see the Pack trade Love for Chase Claypool. But, Pittsbugh has their QB of the future now. So give them a #3 pick and maybe Amari Rodgers who looks like a total bust.

Watson checked a lot of boxes. Big. Fast. He seemed to be consistently ranked somewhere between #22 and #53, meaning our first pick was a little too early, and he'd be gone by the time we picked at #53, so it was either take him at #28 or trade up to take him.

He'll be a good addition to the WR unit for the next four years. He'll almost certainly improve during his time here. I'd be happy if this guy caught 40 balls this year.....that's only about 2 per game. I'm not expecting him to be a top receiver as a rookie.

The bonus stuff....his Dad being drafted by the Packers, the small school stuff.....that doesn't change what he is. He's a big , fast guy who can block and catch. He'll be useful.

Really good article on father son relationship and how Christian was groomed from very early age.

https://www.si.com/nfl/packers/news/like-father-like-son-the-christian-w...

The "Questions" on the route tree and football IQ are answered in this article and will be answered on the field. I have no question about either. Father bias or not, He seems pretty honest, and I think CW is going to surprise. I said in a few other posts I had him as No.2 WR behind Williams. Everything I read about him reinforces that.

Watson is not MVS. Very different body type and a more rounded athlete. Watson is, however, rawer even than MVS. I’ve watched a lot of him. His hands have improved as he learns (a good sign) but he’s not a natural hands catcher. He also played against individuals among whom he at such an incredible physical advantage that he did not need to learn the niceties. He will have to now, and watching his film requires bearing that in mind if one wants to gain any kind of objective opinion. Give him time, and he could be a titan.

Janis was another who came out as a player who didn’t really need to learn or try. Watson is more rounded athletically, but we should remember that Janis never did get those technical elements in place. I think Watson has a strong chance to if he desires it enough (his father surely helps) and if we coach him intelligently and manage his entry into the NFL accordingly. A lot depends on him and a lot depends on the coaches now.

I think I was wrong on WR Christian Watson. I wrote him off immediately based on level of competition faced. While that is of concern, knowing he will meet up with far superior DBs in the NFL, with the speed and the size to knock him off routes, contest his Targets, etc., I’ve put a lot more study into him with a wealth more info on him post draft.

Best not to forget, while level of competition was lesser at NDSU, so was the level of coaching, player development and team resources. Not to mention, the level of QB play. Just like stars appear to be aligning with Quay, Wyatt, Enagbare adds to this Packers D, same appears true with this Christian Watson add, AND the Romeo Doubs & Samori Toure selections. Could these 3 WRs be walking into any better situations? With our ALWAYS LOOKING TO LIGHT IT UP Aaron Rodgers at QB?

***Watson is a faster Allen Lazard, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that.

He’s got toughness LaFleur likes exhibited in his open field run blocking, He plays with an all-out abandon, not reckless, but, controlled. After looking more closely at his film, I DON’T HAVE THOSE CONCERNS about higher level of defensive play he’ll be facing because he plays SO CONFIDENTLY.

NOTHING appears forced with him, or difficult. Granted, we have to be mindful we’re pretty much limited to “highlights,” with his being from such a small program. Regardless, I’m seeing a level of confident, dynamic play with Watson that should translate well in Green Bay.

His football IQ??? I don’t think there are ANY QUESTIONS there, being the son of a former NFL player and 1993 Packers draft pick, Safety Tim Watson. The kids of former players coming into the NFL all have a very high level understanding of the game. We’ve seen this translate recently with players like Runyan and WRs Michael Pittman Jr. and Van Jefferson.

I suspect Christian will be able to make an impact on this Packers team, readily, from Day 1, and I’m thrilled with the trade up to go get him. We needed a dynamic talent infusion there WITH SPEED. Gutekunst knew it was going to cost him, and he and the Packers felt it was easily worth the investment.

What a story this could make... Remarkable. We’ll see.

Watson was a great Pick. Gutey had to get him for this Offense. Not Rodgers. Rodgers needed guys to stretch the field. But first they must catch the Ball. This is Rodgers Bitch. It's a Good one. Rodger's trusted guys. -- But he's paid the price, for those who couldn't.--
The chemistry grew with Nelson and Cobb. And Finley made them a great Trio. Even Jones wanted to be a part of it. There was No second guessing, if they'd catch it. That is what Brett Favre Had before Rodgers.
But that is what is missing now! The field has shrunk. Adams dropped passes and so did MVS. Sure they developed. But the confidence or chemistry just wasn't what we've seen. The positive opportunities were fruitless in the biggest games. And the guys Rodgers relied on, just weren't available. The WR corps have become a Guessing GAME. Hopefully these players find that relationship with Rodgers. Because it's been lost during the playoffs.

Yes, Watson is going have to work on the route tree. Yes, he's not going to be in total harmony with Rodgers at the beginning, but what rookie is? Rodgers is just going to have to show patience with his new receivers because he doesn't have any other choice. Rodgers may show some aggravation at times, but I hope he'll be smart enough to mute it somewhat.

Watson should be able to contribute immediately on special teams, so maybe we can start to put some of those adventures back there behind us.

Watson will not replace Adams, but he could in time.

He will replace MVS with a greater NFL skillset...and to even mention him in the same conversation with Janis is silly. Janis didn't replace anyone and still hasn't and is out of football.

Watson's QB rating when targeted was an elite 146. Watson had some drops over his college career, but only two last year. And he blocks...blocks well. He will take the ball on jets, from the backfield, on screens. He is an All American KR. He was a watchlist candidate for the Walter Payton Award. And he is an Honor Student.

Neither MVS nor Janis brought these attributes to 1265 Lombardi as a rookie.

My fondest hope and wish is that Watson becomes the next Randy Moss. Immediate impact, and improving from there. The best part is that it would have been a trade with the Vikings which would make this possible. Especially since the Packers had a chance to draft Moss, but took Vonnie Holliday instead, Will Watson have the same impact as Moss? Unlikely. But, it's the off-season, we've just had the draft, and it's time to be optimistic and swing for the fences with our dreams.

This guy screams potential. One mock guy on TV compared him to MVS. I disagree. I see him as more of a Jordy Nelson clone and love is size and speed. However, I do hope that he is as hard of a worker that his father claims he is because he will definitely have to expand his route tree in Matt’s (and Rodgers) offense.

Watson isn't a finished product. That would be hard to achieve on a team as run-heavy as N.Dakota St. They had a 52-4 record over the last four years and given their success running the ball they didn't have to pass very much (even with Trey Lance starting 16 games in 2019).

Over the last four seasons, the NDS team only completed a grand total of 635 passes, so Christian Watson cannot have eye-popping stats. No 4th quarter slinging it about because they are losing, games.

Given how run heavy the team was, he did learn how to block. He also has electric speed when he runs reverses and after the catch, but more than that, he has the extra gear, the burst that makes a mockery of pursuit angles.

He isn't going to learn the subtleties of being a WR straight away, there is a big, big difference in what is asked of a WR in the NFL, compared to college. Even as a rookie though, he will command respect with that speed and that size - and once he begins to understand defenses and what they are trying to do, he will get better and better.

As long as he stays healthy and brave, and can progress in the mental part of the game, he has the physical talent to be a real high quality no.1 receiver.

Finally, the MVS comparison nonsense needs to die. Randy Moss is tall and fast, does that make Watson a Moss comp - or was MVS a Moss comp ? No.

I love this pick.
We lose MVS and Davantae, so we pick up a kid who has the size of Tae and the speed of MVS.

All we need to do is coach up the weaknesses mentioned and we may have some Calvin Johnson like production coming from he and Mr. Rodgers.

Well worth the cost.

Christian Watson is a rookie, I get it. Expectations should be high for the player he will become, because he's the most talented WR we've drafted in twenty years. (Bar-none!)

While I fully expect CW to be a full-on stud, he will have growing pains along the way and needs to put in the work. I do think he'll end up being the best WR in this draft, because he's arguably the most talented.

Looking forward to seeing the whole draft class grow into their roles.

GPG!

Before I gush let me just start by saying forget the small school, lesser competition angle it simply doesn't fly. Some of the NFLs best WRs came from small schools. Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State, Randy Moss, Marshall, Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech. Terrell Owens, Chattanooga, Antonio Brown, Central Michigan, Davante Adams, Fresno State and the list goes on and on.

The only thing this guy needs to be a big time player is opportunity. If LaFleur and Rodgers just throw caution to the wind and put him on the field. If they can lean on what he already does well while he works on the rest of his game, Watson will have a big year.

Opportunity was the thing that was missing at NDSU. He absolutely dominated his competition yet he was only targeted 120 times in 4 years. He caught 104 of those for 2140 yrds. Look at that for a second, he's being credited with 16 drops in his career, is it possible that he had his hands on 100 percent of all of his targets and really dropped all the incomplete passes thrown to him? That's crazy.

I know people think Rodgers hates rookies and that all the good receivers Rodgers had like Adams and Jordy all took time to develop but most of these guys had very good players in front of them early on so they all had limited opportunities to make an impact even if they were capable of making a bigger impact earlier than they did.

There should be no such barrier in 2022. Lazard Cobb and Watkins and hopefully Rodgers will all get their snaps but there should be no reason to not play the rookies immediately and see what they can do. Watson especially, with his blocking prowess, there's not a single reason not to have him on the field for just about every snap as one of the starting receivers unless he needs a breather. His size agility strength and speed make him a guy the defense will always have to account for.

The biggest difference between MVS and Watson is explosion. Watson had a 38.5 inch vertical and 136 inch broad jump compared to 30.5 and 124 inches for MVS. Watson had a faster 10 and 20 yrd split as well as a slightly better 40.

In his rookie season MVS was targeted 73 times, he caught 38 of those targets and had 2 carries for a total of 610 yrds. If Watson gets 73 targets as a rookie he may well go over 1000 yrds and might be a rookie of the year candidate.

He was the 2nd pick of the 2nd round in the 2022 draft and they spent 2 picks on him. There is some synergy in all that.

Dan—Javon Walker is exactly the person I compared to Watson. I posted it immediately after we drafted him. IMO the MVS—Watson comps are not legit.

I'm about as big an Aaron Rodgers fan as there is around here, and my hope is that he embraces this new post-Davante Adams world. I can't add anything about Watson; I'm not that big a college football fan and not a draftnik. Not enough time to sink into it, and something has to give timewise.

But - just off impression - Watson seems to have a lot going for him. And a lot of his development will also be on Rodgers. Did he embrace this pick, and other moves by Gutey? Will he be patient with the newer guys? I am hoping that CW becomes the best of Lazard and MVS (okay, neither of them are that good individually) wrapped into one. Will that happen in the coming year? Doubtful. Down the road? Maybe. Productive this coming year? Why not.

I believe Rodgers not only embraced it, from the sounds of this article had involvement in his selection. The receiver that he wanted all along? Very possible. Father says so. I understand he or the organization wouldn't say otherwise, but has Aaron texted a draftee right away like that? Don't recall.

I wasn't able to link the article because of anti-spam rules of more than one link from same source in a thread. Just google this. It's from SI.
aaron-rodgers-texted-christian-watson

1. Janis had a coach we sent, uh, packing. Anyone with speed can take the top off coverage. With all the receiving records Janis had, pretty sure he could catch certain types of passes. More than enough if you have brains enough to use him that way. When a black DB high draft pick from PAC 10 says you are the fastest guy he has ever seen, you are fast.
2. MLF has new plans for new offense, demanding speed, not exactly morse code for ‘we are looking for another Devonte’. Everything will be different, including the D, and as we all hope, the STs.