Christian Watson

Christian Justus Watson (born May 12, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota State, and was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Early years

Watson was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up in Tampa, Florida, where he attended Henry B. Plant High School. He played for Plant's junior varsity football team for his first two years of high school. Watson began his freshman year at 5-foot-9 and ended his senior season at 6-foot-2. He gained 20 pounds between his junior and senior years. His growth allowed him to be more successful on the field, where he caught 23 passes for 393 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.

Watson was lightly recruited coming out of high school, in large part due to a lack of playing time until his senior season. He committed to play college football at North Dakota State University entering his senior year.

High school statistics

College career

Watson redshirted his freshman season. As a redshirt freshman the following year, he caught nine passes for 165 yards as the Bison won the 2018 FCS national championship. As a redshirt sophomore, Watson caught 34 passes for 732 yards and six touchdowns and was named second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC).

He had 19 catches for 442 yards and one touchdown and was named first-team All-MVFC and 1st team All-American (AP) as an All-Purpose player in his redshirt junior season, which was shortened and played in early 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He repeated as a first-team All-MVFC selection, and was named second-team All-American(AP) after catching 43 passes for 801 yards and seven touchdowns in his redshirt senior season. Watson and the Bison won the 2021 FCS national championship, beating Montana State 38–10. He missed almost the entire postseason in his senior season. Watson also played in the 2022 Senior Bowl where he was voted National WR of the Week.

College statistics

Professional career

2022

Watson was selected as the second pick of the second round (34th overall) in the 2022 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers. He was the seventh wide receiver selected in the draft. Watson was the only wide receiver from North Dakota State University to be drafted in the past thirty-seven years. On July 20, 2022, he signed his rookie contract, a four-year deal with the Packers worth $9,241,031.

During the offseason, Watson suffered a minor knee injury that required him to undergo knee surgery which caused him to miss the majority of training camp.

Watson made his NFL debut in a Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings. On his first snap, Watson beat former All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson on his route, but dropped what would have been a 75-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers. After the dropped pass, Rodgers did not look toward Watson until the end of the fourth quarter. He finished the game with two receptions for 32 yards, and rushing once for an additional seven in the 23–7 loss. In Week 4, against the New England Patriots, Watson scored his first NFL touchdown on a 15-yard rush.

During Week 8, in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills, Watson suffered from a concussion. Watson caught a 12 yard pass during their first offensive possession, and he received a hard hit to the head. He was able to walk off the field and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

In Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, Watson had a breakout performance, catching four passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns in the 31–28 overtime win. After multiple drops on the opening drive, Watson scored the Packers’ longest and second longest touchdowns of the season, a 58 yard score from Rodgers in the second quarter, and a 39-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter. He also scored a 7-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter to tie the game near the end of regulation. For this performance, Watson won NFL Week 10 Rookie of the Week. In the following game against the Tennessee Titans, Watson had 4 catches for 48 yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 27–17 loss. 10 days later, on Sunday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles, Watson caught 4 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, including a 63-yarder from backup quarterback Jordan Love that he caught at midfield and took to the house. For his performance in the month of November, Watson was awarded Rookie of the Month.

In Week 13 against the Bears, Watson had 3 receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for a 46-yard touchdown to extend the Packers' lead to seven late in the game. With his eighth touchdown in four games, Watson matched Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss's rookie record for most touchdowns in a four-game span.

Watson finished his rookie year with 41 receptions for 611 yards and seven receiving touchdowns, as well as two rushing touchdowns. Watson tied with Jahan Dotson for the most receiving and with Kenneth Walker III for most total touchdowns among all rookies.

2023

While having perfect attendance during training camp, Watson started off the 2023 season with a hamstring injury, causing him to miss practice. He was subsequently marked inactive for the first three games. Watson would be marked active for Week 4, against the Detroit Lions. In his season debut, he had two receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown during the 34–20 loss. In Week 13, against the Chiefs, he had two receiving touchdowns in the 27–19 victory. Week 13 was Watson's last action during the 2023 regular season due to lingering hamstring issues. He finished with 28 receptions for 422 yards and five touchdowns. He returned for the Packers' two postseason games.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Watson's father, Tim Watson, played safety in the NFL during the 1990s for the Packers, Eagles, Chiefs, and Giants. He was a sixth-round selection of the Packers in the 1993 NFL draft. His father now goes by Tazim Wajid Wajed.

Watson has four siblings, a brother and three sisters. Watson's older brother, Tre Watson, played linebacker at Maryland and Illinois and was an All-Big Ten selection. He currently plays in the XFL.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Yahoo! Sports · Pro Football Reference
• Green Bay Packers bio
• North Dakota State Bison bio