2022 NFL Draft Profiles: Should the Jaguars Target NDSU's Christian Watson?
The 2022 NFL Draft season is upon us.
Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold 12 picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 1 overall pick. The Jaguars are entering a new era after the Urban Meyer tenure, making this draft as pivotal as one could imagine.
As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.
In our next prospect breakdown, we take a look at North Dakota State University wide receiver Christian Watson and whether he makes sense for the team after the first round.
Overview
A 6-foot-2, 175-pound receiver at Plant High School in Tampa Bay, Christian Watson wasn't a highly sought-after recruit in most aspects. According to 247 Sports, Watson was a two-star recruit in the 2017 recruiting class and the No. 501-ranked wide receiver.
Watson took a redshirt year in his freshman season in 2017 before getting serious playtime in 2018. As a redshirt freshman, Watson appeared in 14 games and caught nine passes for 165 yards (18.33 yards per catch).
Watson began to see full-time status in 2019 as a redshirt sophomore, starting 11 games and appearing in 16 overall as he went on to catch 34 passes for 732 yards (21.52 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. After becoming a true dual-threat big-play option, he was named second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Watson's junior season was limited as NDSU played a shortened season without quarterback Trey Lance at the helm, but he still went on to record 19 catches for 442 yards and a touchdown while also adding on 338 return yards on just 10 kickoff returns, earning him second-team All-Conference honors as a return man.
Watson's fifth and final season saw him once again earn second-team All-Conference honors ad wide receiver after he recorded 34 catches for 732 yards and six touchdowns. Watson then went on to have one of the most impressive weeks of any receiver at the Reese's Senior Bowl.
What Christian Watson Does Well
It isn't hard to spot Watson on the field on any given play, something defenses had to account for each and every week. Measuring at 6-foot-4 and 211-pounds at the Senior Bowl, Watson looks the part from a height, weight and length perspective and truly stands out as a man amongst boys at the smaller level.
Watson's biggest trump card is his blend of size and speed, with his long speed proving to be too much for most secondaries to handle even at his size. Watson was used as NDSU's go-to big-play threat downfield, frequently winning deep because of his pure ability to gain speed throughout his vertical routes and run by cornerbacks. He understands leverage and not allowing defenders into his frame throughout routes and does a good job of freeing himself open deep with a second burst with the ball in the air.
Watson is a threat after the catch thanks to his blend of speed, size and balance. He is clearly a coordinated athlete who reads the field well and has plus instincts with the ball in his hands, which lends to big plays for him in the passing game, returning game and as a rusher on jet sweeps and even handoffs out of the backfield.
Watson has the traits to keep growing as a route-runner, too. He displays the needed ability to sink his hips and explode out of breaks while also having surprising foot quickness off the line of scrimmage, firing off the ball low and without losing leverage. He works back to the quarterback well too, finding green grass on broken plays and fighting back to the football instead of waiting on it.
Watson also brings legitimate special teams value early in his career. He was a lethal kick returner at North Dakota because his blend of size and speed is hard for any coverage team to bring down, especially when he is given such a massive runway and large slivers of space. Watson gets downhill violently as a rusher and as a ball-carrier after the catch and this translates perfectly to special teams.
How Christian Watson Would Fit With the Jaguars
There are a number of receivers in this year's who are intriguing options as X receivers on the perimeter of an offense and Watson's name is right in the middle of things. I do not think he has the physical play-style to win underneath and in the middle of the field as a Z, but he does have enough explosiveness and spatial understanding to work out of the slot at times. In short, he would fit two of the Jaguars' three holes at receiver, with the most important one being a field-stretching X.
There is a question, however, about whether Watson would be the type of player who could contribute to a passing game in a big way early on. It still feels like he is learning how to play above the rim and remain physical against press coverage, so a year or so developing his strength and overall skill level at the NFL may be what is best for him.
This would mean that Watson best fits for a team that doesn't need that immediate production. He has the athleticism to scheme things up early on his career and would bring instant special teams value, but the Jaguars need a receiver who is prepared to start and produce from day one on the outside. If the Jaguars add to the room in free agency that would change things, but Watson could potentially be a bit too raw for what they need in 2022.
With that said, Watson would give the Jaguars the speed and size they are likely losing when DJ Chark hits free agency later in March. The Jaguars need more playmakers and Watson is very much a playmaker, even if he needs some seasoning. He doesn't look like he would be an instant impact and overall savior of the receiver room, but his size and speed would be valuable in a big way from a team-building perspective.
Verdict
I do not think Christian Watson makes as much sense for a team like the Jaguars as things stand today. Watson is an intriguing height/weight/speed project at X receiver, but it is hard for me to see him contributing to a passing game in a high-volume way early on in his career. Watson would be an intriguing depth option if the Jaguars make tweaks to the receiver room and find a starting X for 2022 in a veteran, but I do not think he is a player they should look at before the third-round even in that scenario.
For all of our 2022 NFL Draft profiles, click below.
