The Green Bay Packers have one of the youngest, inexperienced rosters in the NFL heading into the 2023 season. That inexperience is plentiful on the offensive side of the ball as they are turning to plenty of young guys to carry the load there.
Jordan Love, the owner of 83 career regular season passes, is taking over as the starting quarterback. He will be replacing Aaron Rodgers and is surrounded by a very young supporting cast with a lot of upside.
One of those young players that will be growing along with Love is wide receiver Christian Watson. The second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State had a slow start to his career as he battled drops and injuries.
However, when healthy, he showed just how productive he could be. That is a big reason as to why Watson landed on Brad Spielberger of PFF’s list of three players that the Packers need to build around for the future.
“The Packers have been so good for so long because they live by the draft and develop philosophy as well as any club, and that doesn’t change with the departure of Aaron Rodgers. Second-year wideout Christian Watson exploded down the stretch of 2022 once he finally got healthy, with his seven touchdown receptions from Week 10 on tied for the league lead, his 2.58 yards per route run placing third and his 6.0 yards after the catch per reception ranking ninth despite an average depth of target of 16.5 yards that was the third highest over the stretch.”
Watson is projected to be Love’s No. 1 receiver in the 2023 season and is in line for a massive breakout campaign. Joining him on Spielberger’s list are two defensive stars; pass rusher Rashan Gary and cornerback Jaire Alexander.
As Spielberger noted, a big reason that the Packers have been able to sustain success is their ability to draft and develop prospects. Hitting on early selections, which they have done in recent years, certainly helps.
Gary is making his way back to the lineup this season after suffering a torn ACL in the team’s Week 9 matchup against the Detroit Lions last season. His absence was felt big time as the team’s pass-rushing numbers fell off a cliff without the Michigan product in the lineup.
Alexander has turned into one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL as he is routinely ranked in the top two or three at the position in the league. Patrick Surtain II and Sauce Gardner are right there with Alexander at the top of the rankings.
“Rashan Gary’s ACL tear sustained in 2022 was unfortunate timing as he enters his fifth-year option season in 2023, but he was on an absolute tear before going down. His 19.9% pressure rate through Week 9 ranked second among edge defenders. Last but not least, Alexander is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, with his 91.5 cumulative coverage grade over the past three seasons the top mark at the position.”
Gary and Alexander have cemented their status as stars and Watson is looking to do the same on the offensive side of the ball. If he can carry over his success from the end of the 2022 season into 2023, the Packers’ offense is going to surprise some people. He has all of the tools to become the next big thing at the wide receiver position in the NFL.