With Pick 34 in the Draft GB Selects WR Christian Watson

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Did you ever sit down and eat half a bag of chips? You knew it was a bad idea but you did it, anyway. Reading NFL Draft grades are the same. They’re kind of tasty but, ultimately, filled with empty calories.

The Green Bay Packers traded their two second-round picks to move up 19 spots to select North Dakota State receiver in the second round, then stood pat and selected UCLA offensive lineman Sean Rhyan in the third round.

Here are some crunchy, salty grades from the NFL punditry.

(But first, a quick personal note for my loyal readers. I’ll be at a funeral on Saturday, will not be at Lambeau Field and will be posting stories sporadically (if at all) throughout the day. Thank you for understanding.)

Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Hanson gave the Packers a B for Watson. “With Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling gone, the Packers had a huge need at receiver, and they were aggressive here to address it with a home run threat. Watson has an elite combination of size and speed, with a wide catch radius, and is elusive for a big receiver. Watson ran the sixth-fastest 40-yard dash among wide receivers (4.36) and led all combine participants in the broad jump (11’4”). Watson averaged 20.4 yards per reception over his career and returned a pair of kickoffs for scores in 2020.

The Packers got a B-minus for picking Rhyan.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter loves what Brian Gutekunst is doing. He loved the first-round picks and he loved Day 2, as well. “Dealing a mid-second-round pick to move up 19 spots was a steep price to pay, but that's what the market demanded given the heavy focus on receivers. As the first of seven wideouts selected in the second round, the North Dakota State product will be compared with guys like Skyy Moore and George Pickens for years to come. Rhyan played tackle in college but could slide inside because of his powerful base and mobility. He's a perfect value in the third round.”


Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski hated the picks on Thursday but gave the Packers an A for getting Watson. “Watson gives quarterback Aaron Rodgers a completely different type of target as an elite athlete who can stretch the field. He’ll need to refine some of his technique and become more consistent, because drops will find him in Rodgers’ doghouse very quickly.
Otherwise, the Packers landed first-round athletic ability at wide receiver after passing on the position twice on Day 1.”

The Packers got a C for Rhyan.

CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso gave the Packers a C-plus for Watson because of the cost. “Aced the pre-draft process. Tall, fast, bendy. Raw routes, not a major YAC threat. Will need to be utilized correctly out of the gate to accentuate his talents. Freaky speed and explosiveness. Very useful in the jet sweep/end-around game. Big-time upside. Costly trade but, finally, a receiver for Green Bay.”

Trapasso gave the Packers a B for the “torque-based” Rhyan.

Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer loved the Watson pick, awarding an A-plus. “Watson rose up draft boards after his incredible athletic display at the Combine. He has ideal size (6-4, 208 pounds) and he taps well into his speed. He will continue to get better operating as Aaron Rodgers’ new young outside No. 1. He is a vertical threat but can be more than that and will round out into a complete receiver.”

Plus, the Rhyan pick got an A, though Royce Newman might disagree.


On the other hand, the team at Pro Football Focus called this “below average.” They wrote, “The Packers make a big move up to add their wide receiver of choice at the top of the second round. Watson has all the physical tools of a No. 1 wide receiver at 6-foot-4 with 4.36-second speed in the 40-yard dash. However, there are concerns about Watson’s play strength and lack of polish translating to the NFL on a team that needs an immediate contributor, especially with George Pickens and Skyy Moore both still on the board.” PFF would have gone with Skyy Moore to give the team three slot receivers.

Citing its grades, the Rhyan pick was judged as “good.”

The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia gave the Packers a C-plus for Watson. As part of his summation, he wrote: “But there are some strikes against Watson. He had multiple knee surgeries during the 2019 offseason and missed three games last year because of a hamstring injury. All of Watson’s games came against FCS competition. And per PFF, he had a high 13.3% drop rate in his career. There are obvious tools to work with, but Watson will be a 23-year-old rookie and will likely need some time to develop into a quality vertical threat in the NFL. The Packers might have been better off holding on to the two picks and throwing a couple darts at wide receiver. Watson is far from a sure thing.
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Of Course PFF dumps on the Watson pick as they mentioned Skyy Moore who they were pumping all pre-draft long. PFF will crap on the pick if it does not match who they like.
 
The grades are based on personal opinions, nothing more. Everyone makes their own judgement as to whether or not a player has the tools to do the job, and how they fit into a program.

The differences shown in that article indicate just how far apart people are in their judgements.
 
Both of you slow down your reading....GBP4 read it really slow and rethink that last post>>> : “But there are some strikes against Watson. He had multiple knee surgeries during the 2019 offseason and missed three games last year because of a hamstring injury.
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Multiple Knee surgeries is a HUGE red flag..... if he becomes WR 1 no problem if not or those problems come back then they F'ed this up royaly
 
Mark87 said:
Multiple Knee surgeries is a HUGE red flag..... if he becomes WR 1 no problem if not or those problems come back then they F'ed this up royaly
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Oh I agree Watson is a big gamble I like him as a player but GB gave up way to much to draft him. I think this was more a move to appease Rodgers and the fan base. Had GB stayed pat they could have drafted Alec Pierce at 53 and then at 59 taken another player. I would have rather seen that happen.
 
TW said:
I'm going to reserve judgement on this one. I'm not convinced he was worth the trade up to be honest. But, we're going to find out in camp. Based on what I saw happening just before us in the draft, I kind of feel he would have been there for us when we got to those two picks they surrendered.

I think they were blinded by the blood line to be honest. Sometimes those drafting think they're dealing in thoroughbreds for the Kentucky Derby.
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We will never know, but there were two big, long, fast WR left at that point - Pickens and Watson - and considering Pitt took one of them right before us, to me there is a good chance than one or both of those guys would’ve been well gone already by 53.

The thing to keep an eye on is Alec Pierre’s career, as he was actually taken at 53
 
rpiotr01 said:
We will never know, but there were two big, long, fast WR left at that point - Pickens and Watson - and considering Pitt took one of them right before us, to me there is a good chance than one or both of those guys would’ve been well gone already by 53.

The thing to keep an eye on is Alec Pierre’s career, as he was actually taken at 53
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I said in shout..wasn't going to happen. Those other teams had big needs in other areas. GB had a hard on for Watson, which is fine but they overpaid.
 
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