The moment that Brian Gutekunst realized that Davante Adams had no plans to re-sign with the Green Bay Packers, he knew the wide receiver room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue was in store for a remodel.
Replacing the best wide receiver and his production was always going to take time. There were going to be growing pains.
It was dubbed the Davante Replacement plan. A plan that just a few weeks ago looked like a complete and utter failure. A plan that fell under extreme scrutiny before and after the trade deadline when Gutekunst failed to add a wide receiver.
Turns out, all we needed was a little patience, a hard thing to come by in today’s fast-paced world, where people want to see results immediately.
“Whenever you lose a player the caliber of Tae, you’re going to have to overcome it,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said during his press conference on Monday. “I think we struggled out of the gate to do that. At the same time, that room, in particular, looks pretty bright moving forward.”
The centerpiece of that room and the remodel of the wide receiver room is Christian Watson. The dynamic wide receiver is the reason why the light is shining so bright in Green Bay’s wide receiver room.
The NDSU wide receiver that the Packers traded up for in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft struggled to get and stay on the field early in the season as he battled the injury bug.
Over the last four games, Watson has hauled in 15 receptions for 313 receiving yards. During that four-game stretch, Watson has had two 100-yard receiving games and he’s accounted for eight touchdowns.
Most TD scored over a 4-game span for a rookie WR in NFL history
1998 Randy Moss 8
2022 Christian Watson 8 pic.twitter.com/4yT04rfkas— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 4, 2022
“You have to give that kid a lot of credit,” Gutekunst said. “Going into camp with the surgery and having to miss that time…I give him a lot of credit for not losing faith and not losing his work ethic. Because when the opportunities presented themselves he made the most of them.”
.@packers @ChristianW2017 @NDSUfootball we have never seen the month that this Super Rookie is putting up. 8 TD’s including a game winner! Is it too late for OROY Awards? Can anyone keep him from strutting into an endzone near you? #GoPackGo #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/WnI19AJZkv
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 6, 2022
When the Packers return from the bye week they could get a closer look at what the wide receiver room could look like moving forward when Romeo Doubs returns from injury.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovksy, Watson, and Doubs, the fourth-round pick out of Nevada have only been on the field together this season for 52 snaps. Getting those two on the field together will be a high priority for Matt LaFleur as the Packers assess what they have at the wide receiver position.
“It would be nice to get all those guys out there at the same time,” Gutekunst said…I’m very high on those guys’ ceilings and what they can do as a group.”
With Watson, Doubs and Samori Toure, the Packers have foundational pieces in place at the wide receiver room. Now, it’s up to Gutekunst to continue to add young talent to the mix.
This year’s wide receiver class is not as highly regarded as the previous three wide receiver draft classes, but there are still talented wide receivers that could be high on Gutekunst’s board. Here are five wide receivers that Gutekunst could target in the first three rounds if he opts to add a wide receiver early in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Quentin Johnston, TCU
Johnston has all the tools to tempt Gutekunst to take a wide receiver in the first round. Like Watson, Johnston has a unique blend of size (6-4, 215) and speed. Pairing him with Watson would put a lot of stress on defenses.
Rashee Rice, SMU
Emmanuel Sanders, Cortland Sutton, Cole Beasley, James Proche, Trey Quinn, Reggie Roberson, and Danny Gray. SMU has produced a lot of talented wide receivers over the years and Rice may be the most talented. Rice set the program record for receiving yards this season. His greatest strength is his ability to create after the catch. He could be a target for Gutekunst at the top of the second round.
Rome Odunze, Washington
If Oduzne opts for the NFL Draft he could go early in the second round. Odunze enjoyed a breakout season under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. Odunze passes the eye test with his size (6-3, 201 pounds), athleticism, and play strength. The Washington wide receiver is a vertical threat with his long strides and straight-line quickness. He’s able to vary his route speed to keep defensive backs off balance and has a lot of branches on his route tree.
Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
Tillman would give the Packers a big, physical wide receiver to pair with Watson. Tillman is a long (6-3), physical wide receiver that outmuscles defensive backs at the catch point. With his frame, he has a large catch radius and has the body control to adjust to the ball while it’s in the air.
Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
The Cyclone wide receiver has excellent hand-eye coordination and makes contested catches look like a walk in the park. He has outstanding body control and does a good job of adjusting to the ball. Hutchinson finished this season with 107 receptions for 1,171 yards and six touchdowns.
