The Packers’ Obvious Replacement for MVS
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Confronted with an eyeballs-deep salary-cap problem, the Green Bay Packers won’t be able to “run it back” like they did last year.
Among the players who they might not be able to afford to bring back for the 2022 NFL season is big-play receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who will be an unrestricted free agent when the league-year starts on March 16.
A fifth-round pick in 2018 sandwiched between fourth-round flop J’Mon Moore and sixth-rounder Equanimeous St. Brown, Valdes-Scantling used his elite combination of size and speed to be one of the NFL’s top big-play threats. During his four seasons, he was tied for fifth in the league with nine receptions of 40-plus yards. Most of that production came in 2020, when he was tied for first with six receptions and was second with four touchdowns.
The Packers might not be able to afford his proven big-play production and might instead prefer a younger, cheaper option with more upside. There could be help available in the draft with a player with a similar physical toolbox.
At the 2018 Scouting Combine, Valdes-Scantling measured 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds with massive 10-inch hands. He ran his 40 in 4.37 seconds.
At this week’s Scouting Combine, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson measured 6-foot-4 1/8 and 208 pounds with 10 1/8-inch hands. On Thursday night, he ran his 40 in 4.36 seconds.
Watson is the better prospect in a couple other areas, which is why he’ll probably go off the board in Day 2 rather than Day 3. First, Valdes-Scantling’s vertical jump was 30.5 inches, making his height less imposing. Watson beat that by 8 inches, making him a real freak on 50/50 balls. Second, and more importantly, Watson will enter the NFL as a more polished player than Valdes-Scantling was four years ago.
How did one of the draft’s most impressive receivers wind up playing for an FCS powerhouse?
“I was a late bloomer in high school,” he said at the Scouting Combine this week. “I didn’t really shoot up until my junior year. I went from 5-9, 140, to 6-1, 160, in a matter of months. So, I was a late bloomer. I just didn’t get that interest early any Power 5 schools, big schools, and North Dakota State came in. They were one of the first schools that was talking to me, and I fell in love with the program early and they fell in love with me and I was a hundred percent committed to them.”
Watson was an All-American kickoff returner as a junior, when he took back two kicks for touchdowns, and an All-American receiver as a senior. During that final season, he caught 43 passes for 801 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns, carried 15 times for 114 yards and one touchdown and averaged 22.7 yards per kickoff return. For his career, he averaged 20.4 yards per reception.
Of course, that production comes with the caveat of facing a bunch of defensive backs who never will get a sniff of the NFL. A strong week at the Senior Bowl, however, eased any of those concerns.
It’s worth noting that Watson played in a run-first offense. In 2021, the Bison had 678 rushing attempts compared to 257 passes. So, its receivers are expected to block, no different than would be the case in Green Bay under coach Matt LaFleur.
“At North Dakota State we run the football a lot. That’s what helps us win games,” Watson said. “Being a wide receiver, that’s something that you have to embrace. I think that’s something I learned to enjoy really early. Whether I’m catching 10 balls a game or I’m getting 10 good blocks a game, it was the same to me in the end. Whatever I can do to help my team win, and blocking was a big part of that.”
The second round has been the sweet spot for the Packers in finding receivers, most recently with Davante Adams and including Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings. With a deep and diverse group of receivers available in this draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst won’t be under pressure to find his guy early – so long as Adams returns, obviously.
Watson would provide the game-breaking skill-set that Valdes-Scantling provided but with a higher upside.
“I’d say everything about me, honestly,” he said when asked what separates him from other receivers in the draft class. “My size, my speed, my versatility – being able to do it all. I don’t think there’s a lot of guys that have the same skill-set that I have, and I’m going to continue to prove that.”
