Packers WR Christian Watson named among Draft mistakes

The Packers traded up in the second round to draft Christian Watson. Many analysts were predicting the Watson landing with the Packers but with the run of receivers, GM Brian Gutekunst used draft capital to go get him. One analyst thinks this was a mistake. David Kenyon of Bleacher Report thinks the Packers want a “do-over.” Watson clearly has not had the output the Packers were hoping for. However, his case goes beyond just Watson as a player. He argues that Packers should have kept the draft capital to strengthen the team in other ways. They could’ve have used the picks to give the team safety or edge depth. Whenever you trade up for a player, there is pressure for that player to perform. Christian Watson’s NFL career has gotten off to a rocky start.

No matter what Watson does for the rest of his career, the dropped pass in week 1 will follow him forever. A perfect ball thrown by Aaron Rodgers landed in Watson’s hands and he dropped it. While this is the most memorable moment, there have been some other hiccups. Watson had knee surgery in the offseason meaning he missed a lot of camp. A hamstring injury popped up and kept him out of last week’s practice and game. He simply has not gotten the reps that some others have.

Watson has not come on the field and immediately dominated but it is really early. His missed time in training camp and practice has slowed his growth. If you watch the tape on the field, the raw skills are there. He is beating defenders off the line. He is getting opportunities to show off his speed on jet sweeps. You can see the beginnings of special player. Just give him some time. In response the other argument against Watson, the Packers also found edge depth and safety depth later in the draft that are looking promising. Saying that Christian Watson was a draft mistake already is a blatant overreaction.

Only time will tell on any draft pick. Some take longer to develop than others. Many analysts panned the Packers for taking Rashan Gary 12th overall and look at how that worked out. Christian Watson looks like a fun player and hopefully he will become better acclimated in the offense in the coming weeks.