2022 Chiefs Draft Prospect: Christian Watson

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NAME: Christian Watson

POSITION: Wide Receiver

SCHOOL: North Dakota State

HEIGHT: 6’4”

WEIGHT: 208 pounds

CAREER BACKGROUND

A native of Tampa, Florida, Christian Watson attended H.B. Plant High School. He is not the only one in his family who has been able to reach the high levels of football. His dad, Tim Watson, played at Howard University and was a safety in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. Meanwhile, his brother, Tre, played linebacker in college football at both Illinois and Maryland.

In high school, Watson competed in track and field and was a two-year letterman in football. He played both wide receiver and safety. During his senior year of high school football, Watson registered 587 all-purpose yards, 17.1 yards per reception and eight receiving touchdowns.

Glow Up

After joining North Dakota State, Watson sat out his entire 2017 season as a true freshman, taking a redshirt. In 2018, he played in 14 games and had two starts. Watson would go on to make nine catches for 165 receiving yards. Eventually in 2019, the pass catcher would become a focal point as one of the offensive starters. He played in all 16 games and made 11 starts that year. He was the team’s leading receiver with 34 receptions, 732 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. Finally, Watson went on to earn All-Missouri Valley Football Conference second team wide receiver honors.

Team Leader

The COVID-19 pandemic moved North Dakota State’s 2020 football season to the spring of 2021. Despite that, Watson continued to be a team leader in the receiving department. He finished with 19 receptions, 442 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 10 games with eight starts. Furthermore, Watson continued to handle multiple roles. He was a top kick returner, tying a school single season record with two kickoff return touchdowns in the spring of 2021. Watson led the Bison in all-purpose yards (896). For that campaign, he was named All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first team wide receiver and first team All-America kick returner by numerous outlets, including the Associated Press.

In his final season, Watson and North Dakota State were back to playing football in the fall during the last few months of 2021. He once again led the team in receiving, tallying 43 receptions, 801 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. His 18.6 yards per reception were second best in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. His rushing and returning ability allowed Watson to finish with 1,142 all-purpose yards. Additionally, he earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first team wide receiver honors for the second consecutive season. Watson was a four-time FCS Champion as well.

SCOUTING REPORT

Instead of listing positives and negatives for traits, this year we will be listing the best trait of each prospect and work our way down to the biggest area of improvement/absent trait(s), from top to bottom.

Speed

With his size, it is a major gift to an offense to have the speed that he does. On the other hand, Watson possesses both a wicked short area burst and dangerous long speed to where he can outrace opponents in the open field. This pass catcher also controls his speed very well. That is especially true when Watson is getting in and out of breaks. Meanwhile, he has a true second gear and knows when to best turn up the throttle, depending on the situation. This can leave opposing defenders on their heels and unsure of how much cushion to give him.

Route Running

Watson has a good mix of creativity and efficiency within his routes. First off, he is rather nuanced when it comes to his cuts and breaks before finishing his route stems. This receiver is also fluid enough to sink his hips and flip laterally, giving him extra separation at the top of his route. Thus, Watson has the change of direction skills that are subtle yet allow him to explode when working to complete his route. He does not have as much wasted movements as one may think, despite the high amount of cuts.

Football IQ

There are only a select few of wide receivers in this draft class that are consistent with situational awareness. Watson is one of them. His ability to recognize the sticks and gain adequate depth during routes on crucial downs is evident. Moreover, Watson maintains stout body positioning and leverage in those moments. He is able to make the throwing window wider and larger for his quarterback, as a result. In the meantime, Watson is also quick to find the football and make adjustments against coverage, if need be. He has shown more consistency with finding the soft spots in coverage as his career has grown.

Versatility

Simply put, Watson has the ability to lineup all across the offensive formation. He can play X-receiver, Z-receiver and play in the slot as a pass catcher. More importantly, Watson has shown that he is comfortable with running a myriad of routes from any or all spots. That has helped him establish a presence as a true threat to all three levels. Watson has also found success when receiving rushing attempts. Lastly, his confidence is sky high wherever he plays from, no matter the size or speed of the man that is matched up across from him.

Run After Catch Ability

In addition to his rushing ability, Watson is very decisive and urgent with the ball in his hands after securing the catch. He has a toughness about him that makes it extremely challenging for defenders to bring him down. Elsewhere, his spatial awareness and recognition of landmarks on the field allow him to make defenders miss with ease. Watson noticeably works to protect the football when contact is near as well. His mix of elusiveness and physicality not only make him difficult to tackle. But, Watson routinely focuses on continuing to work up the field and does not waste time in space.

Separation

Where Watson gains the most separation, comes at the top of the route. He is able to do that with a combination of quickness, double moves and body control. Watson will not necessarily make opponents lose leverage or balance consistently. However, he has displayed a knack for creating extra space for himself by taking sharp, slicing angles. Teams will also realize that he has no problem in winning with his frame or upper body strength. Watson can gain extra separation by using his arms and hands to his advantage throughout one-on-one battles. To boot, he knows how to get his weight on top of defensive backs and shield them away from the football.

Ball Skills

Watson is very attentive when tracking the football. His adjustments and body control at the catch point are a major bonus for him as he transitions to the NFL. Furthermore, Watson has steadily improved in contested catch situations and when needing to make catches in traffic. He has the length to make difficult catches that are outside of his frame. On top of that, Watson will be able to outmuscle defensive backs, because of his ability to attack at the catch point with force.

Hands

Watson does have some occasional lapses with focus, and it can lead to drops. He does not have the most well-rounded hand technique, as things currently stand either. That is an issue that can certainly be fixed with further coaching. For example, Watson will have to better position his hands, in regard to his frame and body positioning on the field.

Release Package

Watson has a stutter step move that he pulls out once in a while. He did not seem comfortable in using it all the time, however. Watson is very patient against contact at the line of scrimmage. Overall, that can lead to inconsistencies with timing on his routes or with how quickly he may be able to separate. Watson can also take longer than you would anticipate when getting in and out of initial cuts and breaks, given his speed.

CHIEFS FIT

Christian Watson could have an ability that the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for within their offense. Specifically, after trading away Tyreek Hill, this team could look for receivers who handle multiple roles. There is no shortage of what Watson could do in an NFL offense. And with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, the North Dakota State product could handle a heavy volume early on. That is due to his ability to win in all three levels, his mix of size, speed and physicality and the fact that he can lineup all over the offensive formation. You want him to win vertically? Watson can do that. You want him to make magic and create yards after the catch? He can do that as well. Kansas City will likely be impressed with his continued progression, when it comes to production.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs draft prospect profiles throughout this spring. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.