Vikings New GM Trading With NFC North Rivals

The Packers traded with Minnesota to select NDSU wide receiver Christian Watson.

Green Bay wasted no time finding a weapon for Aaron Rodgers in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. The Packers made a trade with NFC North rival Vikings at No. 34, sending its No. 53 and No. 59 picks to Minnesota to draft North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson. 

Initially, the Packers were not slated to make their two selections until later in the second round of the draft. The franchise getting Watson comes a day after it did not draft a wide receiver in the first round on Thursday night. 

Green Bay tried to trade with Minnesota for No. 32 on Thursday. However, things did not work out, and it brought the Packers’ streak of not drafting a wide receiver in the first round to 20 years.

Under new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the Vikings made a trade with Detroit to move back, giving up their No. 12 pick for a No. 32 selection in the first round. At No. 12, the Lions selected Alabama’s Jameson Williams.

On Friday, the Packers traded up 19 spots to select Watson, giving the Vikings their No. 53 and No. 59 selections in the draft.

Late Thursday night, Rodgers spoke on the The Pat McAfee Show about the team not selecting a wide receiver in the first round of the draft. 

Watson caught 43 passes for 801 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns as a second-team All-American in his senior season. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as a junior. 

Watson’s father, Tim Watson, was drafted in the sixth round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Packers. 

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