The Chicago Bears appear likely to draft a wide receiver with one of their two second-round picks of the 2022 NFL Draft. Their draft slot at pick 39 could be going to that position, and there are plenty of names in discussion around that slot. One name that has been getting buzz in that range is Christian Watson.
Watson played for North Dakota State, which was a run-heavy school that dominated most opponents. Still, at times he was able to flash his skill set.
His rise up the draft boards had a lot to do with his impressive play at the Senior Bowl, and his impressive workout at the NFL combine.
When you look at his workouts at the NFL combine, there is one NFL player who has very similar traits. When you combine their on-field skill set it is easy to say that the best NFL comparison for Christian Watson is Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Thanks to RAS scores you can see how similar they are below.
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The biggest knock on Christian Watson entering draft season has been his small school, and role. He has not flashed the entire route tree and instead is often scheming the ball near the line or throwing deep shots because his best trait is running fast and being big.
There are also questions about his drop rate. Some of that can be explained by a lack of targets, but another argument is that because his role is primarily a deep threat it is hard to get fed targets.
Still, everything used to explain Watson makes him sound more like MVS than the testing numbers. MVS is not the target hog and often you saw him with the chance to change the game and then drop the pass. His drop rate is higher than most because at times he can go games without a target if the deep ball is taken away.
Still, the combination of size, and speed makes him valuable. Teams have to respect him taking the top off, and when he does he squeeze in the pass, it usually is a 70-yard touchdown as a result.
Many Chicago Bears fans wanted the team to sign Valdes-Scantling this past offseason, citing that his deep speed and the deep ball of Justin Fields would be a great fit. The fit would be the same with Christian Watson, and he would come in younger and cheaper.
So, would a younger, cheaper Marquez Valdes-Scantling intrigue Chicago Bears fans? Because that Is a legitimate outcome if the team does draft Christian Watson.