Packers 2022 Draft Grades: Christian Watson a big-time addition

The Green Bay Packers made a big-time move in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

General manager Brian Gutekunst made a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, of all teams, to trade up for North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson.

It was an expensive move as the Packers sent both of their second-round picks to the Vikings.

For Watson, it was worth it.

Watson has everything the Packers love at the wide receiver position.

He has outstanding size and athleticism. Watson is 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, and earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.96 out of a possible 10.

Just how good of an athlete is Watson?

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Watson was one of just five prospects to earn a 99 athleticism score in this year’s class.

Simply put, the Packers are adding yet another phenomenal athlete to the roster.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah noted that Watson “could emerge as one of the best pass-catchers in this class.”

The Packers may have missed out on the top wide receiver prospects in the first round, but they weren’t going to allow the same to happen on Day 2. In Watson, Green Bay gets a player with true WR1 potential.

Green Bay loves receivers with a combination of size, speed, and athleticism. Watson ticks all of those boxes.

He will need some time to develop, but his potential is sky-high.

The Packers will be hoping Watson can contribute on offense early on, but potentially also on special teams. Watson has two kickoff return touchdowns to his name since 2020.

Green Bay moved up a long way to get Watson. It shows how much they like him. That’s all we need to know.

Brian Gutekunst needed to get Aaron Rodgers a new target. Watson can be a star in Matt LaFleur’s offense.