Packers Draft Talk, Will Mason Crosby Be Back, Christian Watson Expectations

Packers Q&A to end the week!

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Before I get into today’s newsletter where I’ll be answering more of your Packers questions I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has subscribed to this newsletter recently. 

To be honest I’ve really started to enjoy writing.

It takes a lot more time than filming a video, but it’s been a fun change of pace for me. I really find enjoyment in building new things and trying to find ways to grow whatever it is that I’m working on. 

My next goal is to get this newsletter to 1,000 subscribers. Right now we are at 681 subscribers with 131 new subscribers in the last 30 days. So today I just wanted to share my appreciation for all of you who have been supporting the work that I do. It really means a lot. 

Now let’s talk some Packers! 

First question is from Zach Tornow. Thanks for the question Zach. 

“What is a realistic second year expectation for Watson at receiver (given what we have seen so far and assuming Love as QB)?”

There are a few factors in play for what we can expect from Christian Watson next year. First off is the fact that three Packers players that were catching passes last year are no longer on the roster. Allen Lazard is now on the Jets. Robert Tonyan is on the Bears. And Randall Cobb is still a free agent. Here’s a look at their offensive production last year which will no longer be here in 2023. 

1. Allen lazard- 60 receptions, 788 yards, 6 touchdowns 

2. Robert Tonyan- 53 receptions, 470 yards, 2 touchdowns 

3. Randall Cobb- 34 receptions, 417 yards, 1 touchdown 

In all that is a total of 147 receptions, 1,685 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Christian Watson is very clearly the #1 receiving option for the Packers coming into 2023. The mere fact that there are less players to take away targets from Watson will mean an uptick in his usage and production. 

If Christian Watson didn’t have the unfortunate series of injuries that occurred during training camp and early last season there is a very good chance it wouldn’t have taken him till week 10 to break out. That game vs the Cowboys is the day Watson made a name for himself. 

Here are Watson’s stats from Week 10 and on. 

That breakout performance versus the Cowboys gave Aaron Rodgers the confidence to start looking Watson’s way more and more. 

He had 3 games over 100 yards and caught 7 touchdowns over that span. That’s not a bad way to end your rookie season. Now he can come into 2023 with confidence knowing what he is capable of. 

The next factor is going to greatly determine Christian Watsons’s success and that is the transition from future hall of famer Aaron Rodgers to 24 year old Jordan Love.

If you’ve followed me for the past few months you know I’m very optimistic about what Jordan Love can be. He consistently showed improvement year after year. Brian Gutekunst would have tried much harder to keep Aaron Rodgers around if he didn’t believe Love has the chance to be something special. 

Love has already built chemistry with the young receivers in Green Bay. The benefit to Aaron Rodgers not showing up to off-season workouts last year is the fact that Jordan Love got to take all of the snaps in practice with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Clearly game reps are much more important and meaningful, but at least they have some kind of chemistry built up. They’ll have this entire off-season to get on the same page. 

And if it takes a few regular season games to figure eachother out in a live game scenario I won’t be too worried. You can’t expect them to have it all figured out before they step on the field in week 1. There will likely be some kind of growing pains. We have to be patient. 

So all in all I think Christian Watson will have a big year. I’ll predict 1,000 yards and 10  touchdowns for Christian Watson. We’ll see in the next few months which other pass catchers Green Bay decides to throw into the mix. 

Next we have a question from Bruce Grimmett. 

“Do you think the Packers would select a right tackle in the first round if a TE they want isn’t available? If Darnell Wright slips that far would the Packers select him?”

The Packers selecting a first round tackle is not out of the realm of possibilities. I’d prefer them use their #15 pick on an edge rusher, wr, or te. 

If the Packers did select an offensive lineman they’d probably go after someone who could be used all along the offensive line. Brian Gutekunst always prefers to draft lineman who can play tackle and guard. Just look at Zach Tom and Elgton Jenkins for example. 

Right now the Packers offensive line has what it needs for 2023, but there are some question marks after this year. Teams are not just preparing for the next season when they draft so if the Packers go tackle it is in preparation for after 2023. We’ve still got Bakhtiari on the left side but he is getting older and his knee, while healthy now, is still slightly worrisome. Yosh Nijman is signed for 2023 but will be a free agent if the Packers don’t sign him after this next year. 

With the Packers drafting at #15 there is a chance a solid tackle could fall to them. Most draft experts have Northwestern's tackle Peter Skoronski ranked #1 and Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr. ranked as the second best tackle. It is likely both of those players are gone by the time the Packers are on the clock. 

Darnell Wright from Tennessee would be interesting if he is sitting there when the Packers draft. 

This is what PFF has to say about Wright for those unfamiliar with his game. 

“Wright is a four-year starter who finally saw the proverbial light flip on this past fall. His tape against Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. was outstanding, as he allowed only one pressure in that game and eight for the season.” 

Now if you hold Will Anderson who most see as the best non-Qb prospect in this draft to only 1 pressure, I’d say you are pretty talented. 

“What’s his role: Right tackle/guard/gap scheme

Wright’s skill set is traditionally placed on the right side, although that’s fairly antiquated thinking. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if some wanted him to move inside.”

Sounds perfect for the Packers. They could either use him at right tackle or kick him inside to guard. Because the Packers already have Yosh Nijman who will likely start out at RT in 2023, Wright could compete in camp with Jon Runyan Jr for the right guard spot. 

One interesting thing to note is that Brian Gutekunst since he took over as Packers GM in 2018 has never drafted an offensive lineman in the first round. 

He’s drafted 2 OL in the 2nd round (Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers),1 in the 3rd round (Sean Rhyan),  2 in the 4th round (Royce Newman, Zach Tom), 1 in the 5th round (Cole Maddison), 4 in the 6th round (Jon Runyan, Jake Hanson, Simon Stephaniac, Cole Van Lanen), and 1 in the 7th round (Rasheed Walker). 

Will he break this streak this year? I hope not! Please give me Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Dalton Kincaid, or Darnell Washington in round 1. I would greatly appreciate it Brian.

 “ Will Mason Crosby get resigned? I know Gute stated that he still believes in Mason’s kicking ability and that it’d be tough for a new guy to kick that well in Lambeau. Not to mention if J. Love turns out to not be all that, at least we have a solid kicker to score some points. 

He’s so close to breaking some team and NFL records, I’d hate to see him go. If I had to guess, he’ll sign for another year or two, giving their new kicker time to adjust to whatever makes Lambeau tricky.” Lachlan Krenz

I’m not too sure that the Packers will bring Mason back. Mason has been a staple of the Green Bay Packers for the last 16 years. Around 11 or so years ago I posted a picture on twitter with all of my Packers gear and Mason Crosby retweeted it. That was pretty awesome. I love what Mason brought to Green Bay over the years and I’ll always be grateful for his time here. 

Here’s what Brian Gutekunst said about Mason a couple months ago. 

“We would never close the door. We’ll see where that goes. He had a good year this past year. We’re limited a little bit financially, but would never say never.”

From that quote and the fact that the Packers haven’t signed Mason, it makes me think the Packers aren’t bringing him back. The only kicker on our roster right now is Parker White. White played college football at South Carolina where he made 16 of 17 field goals his final season. He went undrafted in 2022. Last August he worked out with the Packers. He didn’t end up getting signed by Green Bay last year but signed a futures contract with the Packers in January. 

So right now the Packers kicker situation is up in the air. I’m assuming that if the Packers don’t bring back Crosby they’ll sign another kicker to compete with Parker White for the starting job. 

We are only 6 days away from the NFL draft. Can’t wait to break it all down next week in this newsletter. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Go pack go.