The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft ended Thursday, and the Packers still didn't have a replacement for Davante Adams.
Green Bay has been in the market for another weapon for Aaron Rodgers in each of the past three drafts, but the Packers hadn't spent a high pick on a pass-catcher, and after Adams was traded to Las Vegas this offseason, the need was as significant as ever. Still, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst stuck to his board, taking Georgia linebacker Quay Walker and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt with his two first-round selections.
Green Bay hadn't selected a pass-catcher (excluding running backs) since the third round of the 2021 draft, and drafted just two total pass-catchers in the last two classes combined. That trend ended Friday when Gutekunst traded up with division rival Minnesota and selected North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson with the 34th-overall pick, making him the highest pick spent on a receiver in the Rodgers era (surpassing 2008 selection Jordy Nelson, taken with the 36th-overall pick).
"I mean, look, it's no secret we needed pass catchers," Green Bay Packers co-director of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Indeed, it wasn't a secret. Still, it was a surprise, and a refreshing one for the Packers faithful.
It was also a request fulfilled for Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who openly spoke about Green Bay's need for speed -- and we're not talking about 2000s-era video games.
"Certainly, if you look at our roster right now, we definitely need to get some speed in that room," LaFleur said. "We need a legit guy that can take off the top of the coverage. We lost a guy that was pretty good at doing that."
The guy they lost was Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The guys they received over the weekend included Watson and Nevada's Romeo Doubs, two of the fastest players on the field during Senior Bowl week.
"I think all those guys can run," LaFleur said, via USA Today’s Packers Wire site. "Sometimes the 40 can be overvalued, you look at the play speed on tape…I think the play speed of all those guys is pretty good."
Play speed is more important than 40 times to the Packers, who chose two players whose tape impressed Green Bay's front office. Perhaps even more important is an increased number of playmakers in the receivers room.
2021 third-round pick Amari Rodgers struggled to find playing time on offense in his first season, seeing just eight targets in his entire rookie campaign and serving more as a returner than anything. And after the departures of Adams and Valdes-Scantling, the Packers needed more options than just Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard and 2022 free-agent signing Sammy Watkins.
They found that in Doubs and Watson, with the latter slotting in as a Day 1 starter. Most importantly, the Packers added legitimate options that will complement what already existed on the roster.
"I think we added some competition (at receiver), I think that was really important," Gutekunst said. "I think we accomplished that."
The competition begins with offseason workouts and will continue into the summer. Rodgers has some new names to learn, which understandably will be more challenging than reuniting with old friends, but is better than the alternative reality Green Bay was facing prior to Friday.
