Packers author credulously argues Christian Watson 'has higher ceiling' than Justin Jefferson
Without the regularly-scheduled Aaron Rodgers offseason drama to occupy them, those in Packer Land have drifted off into a dream-like state where they are imagining some of the most unimaginable things.
Bruce Irons has ignited a head-scratching debate by claiming second-year Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has a higher ceiling than all-world Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, who by all intents and purposes IS the ceiling.
Who is Bruce Irons? He's the founder of Packers For The Win and author of several books on NFL free agency, the draft, and the salary cap. Irons is also a contributor to Cheesehead TV, a popular Packers YouTube channel with 27,000 subscribers and over 12 million views.
His initial tweet set off an unsurprising take-storm on twitter with a wide variety of responses. Irons charged forward, recognizing that Watson has an edge on Jefferson physically, including height, weight, speed and acceleration. That's true. Watson had one of the greatest Relative Athletic Scores in NFL Combine history.
"Watson has no physical limitations and showed big play ability in limited time coming off an injury," Irons wrote. "Not saying he's better or even that he will be better, just has more potential."
Tale of the tape:
— Bruce Irons (@BruceIronsNFL) June 21, 2023
Height: Watson
Weight: Watson
Speed: Watson
Acceleration: Watson
Watson has no physical limitations and showed big play ability in limited time coming off an injury.
Not saying he's better or even that he will be better, just has more potential.
No physical limitations? What about that recurring hamstring issue? Jefferson, oh by the way, has never missed a game (*touches wood). Somebody at LSU, Nicholls State, Northwestern and Tulane saw potential in Jefferson because they're the only schools that offered him out of high school. He was 180 pounds at the time.
Physical attributes are nice, but if it's true that Watson's blend of size and speed is what gives him all-world potential then the same could've been said for ex-Vikings busts Joe Webbs and Moritz Boehringer. Webb posted a perfect 10.00 Relative Athletic Score (Calvin Johnson is the only other receiver to have a 10.00 score) and Boehringer earned a near-perfect 9.99.
Great physical traits certainly help but there's more to being a great receiver, like route running, football IQ, hands, etc. and Jefferson has displayed all of those in spades over the last three seasons.
In fairness to Irons, he is only talking about potential.
"Not saying he's better or even that he will be better, just has more potential."
Potential is an eye of the beholder thing, but Jefferson and Watson are the same age (Watson is a month older) and Jefferson has more receiving years through three seasons than any player to ever play in the NFL. Watson has eight solid games on his resume.
Irons went further, noting that Jefferson career high is 10 touchdowns and Watson scored nine touchdowns as a rookie.
Justin Jefferson's career high is 10 touchdowns.
— Bruce Irons (@BruceIronsNFL) June 21, 2023
Christian Watson had 9 touchdowns as a rookie.
Watson had seven receiving touchdowns and two rushing scores last season. Most of those came in the second half after the former NDSU star recovered from injuries and Aaron Rodgers trust issues.
Watson could literally double his 2022 numbers and still pale in comparison to all three of Jefferson's seasons in the NFL.
- Watson's receiving stats doubled: 62 catches, 1,046 yards, 14 touchdowns
- Jefferson in 2020: 88 catches, 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns
- Jefferson in 2021: 108 catches, 1,616 yards, 10 touchdowns
- Jefferson in 2022: 128 catches, 1,809 yards, 8 touchdowns
Watson's touchdown number would be eye-popping by any measure for a rookie, but that's about all he had going for him. Randy Moss, by the way, had 17 touchdowns as a rookie to go along with 69 receptions and 1,313 yards.
Still, Irons went on...
"Randy Moss is one of the most physically gifted wide receivers of all time. And Christian Watson has a better athletic profile."
Randy Moss is one of the most physically gifted wide receivers of all time.
— Bruce Irons (@BruceIronsNFL) June 21, 2023
And Christian Watson has a better athletic profile.
While that's technically true (look at the RAS below) you really shouldn't be invoking the name of one of the greatest receivers to ever play when talking about a rookie who wasn't even the best WR in his draft class (Hi, Garrett Wilson).
"I hate invoking Moss, but he is the guy he reminds me of the most as a player," Irons stated. "I don't think he'll be that impactful, but he reminds me of him a lot."
I hate invoking Moss, but he is the guy he reminds me of the most as a player.
— Bruce Irons (@BruceIronsNFL) June 20, 2023
I don't think he'll be that impactful, but he reminds me of him a lot.
Comparing any receiver to Moss or Jerry Rice is always a bad idea, especially if they are only coming off a rookie year where potential flashed more than actual production.
Give it up to Irons for being willing to die on Christian Watson Hill. But let's see how Watson's potential pans out now that he isn't playing with one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
