The Green Bay Packers traded up to No. 34 overall to select North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson to start the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
The team had Milt Hendrickson, Brian Gutekunst’s director of football operations, speak with the assembled media to discuss the pick on Friday night.
Here’s a collection of quotes from Hendrickson on Watson:
On what’s to like with Watson: “He’s big and fast, and he’s a great kid. I think he’s going to be a great fit for us. You look at his size, speed, he’s played at a phenomenal program, and he’s used to winning. There’s a lot of things that went into (the trade up).”
On taking a player from a smaller school: “We’ve got a really good relationship with that staff at NDSU…it’s kind of like the two guys we drafted from Georgia, this is what we do, we win. From that standpoint, the way they hold themselves at NDSU, even though it’s a lower level of competition, it speaks to his ability to come in and compete right away.”
On Watson as a kick returner: “He was an All-American as a junior as a kick returner. The more you can do.”
On his value: “As fast as he is, his length, his stride, any type of vertical routes, it’s exponential what he can ultimately do for an offense…His ability to be a playmaker that way, but you have to know where that kid is at every time he’s on the field. So just from that standpoint, that’s a weapon for an offense.”
On cost of trading up: “A pick is just a pick until it becomes a player. From that standpoint, if you love the player, you just find a way to get him.”
On drops: “To his credit, talking to coaches there, he works every day on the JUGS machine. He works all the time, not just on his hands, but his route running and just becoming a better player…In my mind, that’s not a concern.”
On run blocking: “Oh, he’s excellent. To his credit, for his size, he’s not just a vertical threat, he’ll put his hands on people. As you guys know, the way coach preaches to our receivers, they have to be able to block.”
On play strength: “Much like his total game, any player we bring in here will have something to improve on. But his physical attributes and his athleticism is going to make it a lot easier from someone who is like 6-0, 185 pounds. He’s just not that. He’s a big man.”
On pre-draft visit: “He came in here and checked another box for us. It really just confirmed for us everything we thought about him.”
On the Senior Bowl: “I think he took a significant jump at the Senior Bowl. The lower level of competition, so to speak, there aren’t as many guys on our board that he’s playing against, but he got a chance to do that at the Senior Bowl and he blew it out of the water.”
On drops: “It’s not something that’s a concern that would have prevented us from valuing him the way we did.”
