STATE OF THE POSITION: WR 1.1
NFL Draft target for the New York Giants
With the NFL Draft a little over one month away, Joe Schoen and the New York Giants are currently scouring the free-agent market for low-cost signings to elevate the talent floor for Big Blue.
Among the moves already made, the Giants brought back C.J. Board who offers back-end receiver depth along with return and gunner value on special teams. Likewise, Robert Foster who has ties to Brain Daboll in Buffalo is a nice depth addition and special team contributor. Unlike Board, however, who has just 26 career receptions, Foster’s 2018 rookie campaign produced 27 receptions for 541 yards and three touchdowns. While he has not seen the same production since Robert Foster can be looked at as a respectable fourth wideout(currently) with an opportunity to take advantage of defensive matchups inside Mike Kafka’s offensive scheme.
That being the case the Giants will most likely look to bolster their wide receiving core in the short and long term through the draft next month. Let’s dive in on one prospect that could be atop Joe Schoen’s list.
CHRISTIAN WATSON - 6’ 4” | 208lbs WR | North Dakota State University
The path to the NFL Draft is a long and winding road paved with college scouting, combines, and pro-days. It is often said that setting your draft board before the combine is a fool's errand. For all that these young prospects accomplish as “student-athletes,” the combine can truly cement their draft stock.
In the case of Christian Watson, it is the combination of size, speed, and a balanced wide receiver skill-set that makes him so intriguing. Watson posted an 87.8 PFF grade in his final year at NDSU, hauling in 43 receptions for 801 yards and seven touchdowns. While Christian Watson will need to improve on the 57 percent catch rate across his three-year college career, he steadily showed improvement in all phases of his game.
With a blazing 4.36 40 time at the combine, Christian Watson will do an excellent job high-pointing deep route targets with impressive body control for a receiver of his size. While he is best used on the outside, Watson has a variety of moves to work in the short and intermediate passing game as well. He showcases above-average quickness and run-after-catch ability in addition to displaying a willingness to engage(and succeed) as a blocker in the run game.
For the Giants, Christian Watson presents all the baseline skills to go along with a developmental upside and work ethic required at the NFL level. Should the right opportunity presents itself for Kenny Golladay ahead of the trade deadline, Christian Watson would provide a big receiver replacement on the outside with the added element of speed. Short term, Watson could immediately come in and replace Darius Slayton as the third wide receiver on the depth chart, while also providing value in the return game and as a special team contributor.
The question becomes how high will Watson’s draft stock rise? Depending on when the second-tier wide-receiver run begins, Christian Watson is likely to become a target that wide-receiver needy teams could covet.
With more than a few holes to fill, when Joe Schoen and the Giants look to add an offensive weapon to the roster will depend on who they draft with the fifth and seventh pick in next month's draft. A trade-back scenario that provides an additional second or third-round pick would provide the level of flexibility the Giants should value.
Adam Armbrecht hosts the One Giant Podcast with Andy Mackiewicz and covers Brooklyn Nets basketball with Doug Norrie on the Locked On Nets Podcast.