The Green Bay Packers traded up to select wide receiver Christian Watson with the first pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. His selection, as well as those of Romeo Doubs in the fourth round and Samori Toure in the seventh, was meant to help fill the void left by All-Pro Davante Adams after his trade to the Las Vegas Raiders.
As Packers and NFL fans may be aware, Watson’s career has not gotten off to the start that he and the Packers might have expected. He missed much of the offseason programs his rookie year due to a knee procedure. Watson also dropped a would-be touchdown catch early in his first game against the Minnesota Vikings.
After a decent rookie season, in which he missed three games, Watson missed eight games in 2023 due to a series of hamstring injuries. Over the course of this offseason, he visited a specialist at the University of Wisconsin and learned that one of his legs had 20% more muscle than the other, which was the cause of his recent injury troubles.
Going into 2024, there is much hope in Green Bay that Watson will be able to put together a healthy season and be the wide receiver they thought he could be when they drafted him. However, one NFL analyst is not so sure.
NFL Analyst Dubs Christian Watson as the Most Overrated Player on the Green Bay Packers
In a recent article in which he listed who he believes is the most overrated player on every NFL roster, Pro Football Network‘s Anthony DiBona did not mince words when he selected Watson as that player for the Packers:
“Similar to Williams, there was quite a bit of hype surrounding Green Bay Packers WR Christian Watson coming into the NFL after testing as one of the most athletic wide receivers in NFL history during the 2022 NFL Combine.
“However, Watson’s athleticism hasn’t translated to immediate success. Although he’s certainly shown flashes at times, Watson has failed to cement himself as Green Bay’s WR1 and needs to prove that he can stay on the field and contribute in 2024.”
The concerns about Watson’s ability to stay healthy and on the field are valid. Despite knowing what has caused his recent injury problems, the third-year wide receiver needs to prove that he has overcome them and can indeed stay healthy.
That being said, there are a few things missing from DiBona’s brief description of Watson’s short career. These things, when taken into account, prove that Watson is anything but overrated.
Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Christian Watson Had the Best Rookie Season of the Aaron Rodgers Era
It is one thing to say, “he has shown flashes.” It’s an entirely different thing to ignore the fact that Watson had a better season as a rookie than any first-year wide receiver for the Packers during the time that Aaron Rodgers was the starting quarterback.
As a rookie, Watson caught 41 passes for 611 yards and seven touchdowns. He also added two more touchdowns running the ball.
Those were all better numbers than the following wide receivers had in their rookie seasons with Rodgers under center:
- Jordy Nelson: 33 receptions, 366 yards, two touchdowns
- Randall Cobb: 25 receptions, 375 yards, one touchdown
- Davante Adams: 38 receptions, 446 yards, three touchdowns
- Allen Lazard: one reception, seven yards, no touchdowns
Additionally, Packers quarterbacks (Rodgers and Jordan Love) had a 121.5 passer rating when targeting Watson in 2022.
No Wide Receiver from the 2022 NFL Draft Has More Touchdown Receptions than Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers
In his two NFL seasons, Watson has caught a total of 12 touchdowns. Below is a list of every wide receiver taken in the 2022 NFL Draft along with their career touchdown reception totals:
- Drake London: 6
- Garrett Wilson: 7
- Chris Olave: 9
- Jameson Williams: 3
- Jahan Dotson: 11
- Treylon Burks: 1
- Christian Watson: 12
- Wan’Dale Robinson: 2
- John Metchie: 0
- Tyquan Thornton: 2
- George Pickens: 9
- Alec Pierce: 4
- Skyy Moore: 1
- Velus Jones Jr.: 1
- Jalen Tolbert: 2
- David Bell: 3
- Danny Gray: 0
- Eric Ezukanma: 0
- Romeo Doubs: 11
- Calvin Austin: 1
- Khalil Shakir: 3
- Montrell Washington: 0
- Kyle Philips: 0
- Jalen Nailor: 1
- Michael Woods II: 0
- Bo Melton: 1
- Dareke Young: 0
- Samori Toure: 1
As one can see, no other wide receiver from the 2022 NFL Draft has as many touchdown receptions as Watson. Only two, including one of his own teammates, have more than nine.
Has Watson had injury problems over the last two seasons that makes it hard to believe he will be fully healthy in 2024? Sure. He has to prove he can put together a healthy season.
Those injuries, however, do not make him overrated. If anything, fans should be excited about the prospect of an “injury prone” wide receiver who has more touchdowns than anyone else from his draft class potentially being healthy.
If anything, Watson is being underrated right now.
