2023 SEASON: Started all nine games he played in and posted 28 receptions for 422 yards (15.1 avg.) and five TDs (No. 3 on the team)…Was inactive for the first three games and the final five games (hamstring)...Appeared in both playoff contests, posting two receptions for 20 yards (10.0 avg.)…Vs. Detroit (Sept. 28): Played 26 snaps in his season debut, posting two receptions for 25 yards (12.5 avg.), including a 1-yard TD grab midway through the third quarter…At Las Vegas (Oct. 9): Finished with a team-high 91 yards on three receptions (30.3 avg.), highlighted by a career-long 77-yard catch down to the Las Vegas 6 midway through the third quarter…Vs. L.A. Chargers (Nov. 19): Posted two receptions for 21 yards (10.5 avg.), highlighted by an 11-yard TD catch in the back of the end zone late in the third quarter that gave Green Bay a 16-13 lead…At Detroit (Nov. 23): Paced the team with five receptions for a season-best 94 yards (18.8 avg.) and a TD (16-yarder in the third quarter). Caught four passes for 78 yards (19.5 avg.) in the first quarter alone, the most by a Packer in a first quarter since WR Allen Lazard registered 80 yards on two catches at the N.Y. Giants on Dec. 1, 2019…Vs. Kansas City (Dec. 3): Recorded a career-high seven receptions for 71 yards (10.1 avg.) and two TDs before sustaining a hamstring injury on a 10-yard reception with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Caught a 9-yard TD pass from QB Jordan Love early in the second quarter and added another score on a 12-yard catch with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter.
2022: Played in 14 games with 11 starts and posted 41 receptions for 611 yards (14.9 avg.) and a team-high seven TDs…Was tied for No. 1 in the NFL among rookies in TD catches and ranked No. 5 among rookies in receiving yards…Had two TD receptions of 50-plus yards (63, 58), the first Green Bay rookie to post multiple TD receptions of 50-plus yards since Howton (six) in 1952…Was tied for No. 1 among NFL rookies with three 100-yard receiving games on the season, the second most by a Green Bay rookie in team history (Howton, five in 1952)…Also had seven carries for 80 yards (11.4 avg.) and two TDs and returned two kickoffs for 35 yards (17.5 avg.)...Became only the third player in franchise history to that point to post seven-plus receiving TDs and multiple rushing TDs in a season, joining McNally (1931) and Hutson (1941)…Became just the second NFL rookie WR to accomplish that feat (Claypool, 2020)…Became just the fourth WR since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to post 40-plus catches, 600-plus receiving yards, seven-plus receiving TDs and multiple rushing TDs in a season, joining Claypool (2020), Tyreek Hill (2020) and Jerry Rice (1994)…Was inactive (hamstring) for three contests (Weeks 3, 6-7)…At Minnesota (Sept. 11): Became the first rookie WR to start for the Packers in Week 1 since James Jones in 2007 and finished with two receptions for 34 yards (17.0 avg.) and a 7-yard run…Vs. New England (Oct. 2): Posted his first NFL touchdown, scoring on a 15-yard run early in the second quarter…Vs. Dallas (Nov. 13): Led the team with 107 receiving yards and a career-best three TDs on four catches (26.8 avg.), becoming the first Green Bay rookie to post 100-plus receiving yards and three receiving TDs in a game since WR James Lofton on Sept. 10, 1978. Tied the single-game team rookie record for receiving TDs as he matched Lofton, Howton (Nov. 27, 1952) and McGee (Oct. 30, 1954). Became the first NFL rookie to catch three TD passes against the Cowboys since Moss on Nov. 26, 1998…Vs. Tennessee (Nov. 17): Finished with four receptions for 48 yards (12.0 avg.) and two TDs as he became the first Green Bay rookie to register multiple TD catches in back-to-back-games since McGee in 1954 (Oct. 30-Nov. 7). His five TD grabs in his last two games matched McGee's mark for the most by a Green Bay rookie over a two-game span and were tied for the most by an NFL rookie over a two-game span since 2000 with Falcons WR Calvin Ridley (2018) and Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. (2014)…At Philadelphia (Nov. 27): Led the team with a career-high 110 receiving yards and a TD on four receptions (27.5 avg.). With nine minutes remaining in the game, caught a short pass over the middle from Love and took it 63 yards for a TD, his longest reception as a pro and the longest by a Green Bay rookie since Jones' 79-yard TD catch at Denver on Oct. 29, 2007…At Chicago (Dec. 4): Posted three catches for 48 yards (16.0 avg.) and a TD while adding a 46-yard rushing TD with 1:51 remaining that clinched the win. Became only the second rookie WR in NFL history to post 45-plus rushing yards and a rushing TD and 45-plus receiving yards and a receiving TD in a game (Joey Galloway on Nov. 12, 1995). His two TDs on the day gave him eight from scrimmage over his last four games, tied for the most over a four-game span by a rookie WR in NFL history (Moss, 1998). Became the first rookie in team history with seven TD catches over a four-game span and the first NFL rookie to do so since Beckham in 2014. Brought his streak of consecutive games with a TD catch to four, the second-longest streak by a rookie in team history behind Howton (five in 1952)…Vs. Detroit (Jan. 8): Paced the team with 104 receiving yards on five receptions (20.8 avg.). Added 12 yards on two carries (6.0 avg.) as he finished the night with a career-high 116 yards from scrimmage…2022 Draft: Selected by Green Bay in the second round (No. 34 overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft, a pick obtained from the Minnesota Vikings for the Packers' two second-round selections in 2022 (Nos. 53 and 59 overall). Became the first NDSU player to be drafted by the Packers since RB Tim Mjos (eighth round) in 1970.
COLLEGE: Played in 52 games with 31 starts in four seasons (2018-21) for the Bison, finishing his career with 105 receptions for 2,140 yards (20.4 avg.) and 14 TDs with 392 rushing yards and two TDs on 49 carries (8.0 avg.)…Returned 26 kickoffs for 686 yards (26.4 avg.) and two TDs…Finished his career at NDSU ranked No. 2 in school history (min. 50 rec.) in yards per reception (20.4 avg.) and yards per kickoff return (26.4 avg.), No. 8 in receiving yards (2,140) and No. 10 in receptions (105)…Played for NDSU teams that won the FCS national championship in 2018, 2019 and 2021, with the Bison posting a 52-4 record during his four seasons…Earned his degree in university studies…2021: Appeared in 12 games with 10 starts, earning second-team All-America honors from The Associated Press at WR after leading the team with a career-high 43 catches for a career-best 801 yards (18.6 avg.) and seven TDs…Earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference recognition as both a WR and an all-purpose player…Ranked No. 2 in the conference in yards per catch…Also carried the ball 15 times for 114 yards (7.6 avg.) and a TD…Returned 10 kickoffs for 227 yards (22.7 avg.), finishing the season with 1,142 all-purpose yards…Was sidelined for three playoff games before returning for the FCS title game…Hauled in three passes for 79 yards (26.3 avg.), including a 67-yard TD grab, and posted a season-long 48-yard kickoff return at Towson (Sept. 18)…Posted a career-high 163 receiving yards on five catches (32.6 avg.) vs. Northern Iowa (Oct. 9), highlighted by a career-long 85-yard TD reception…Hauled in four passes for 91 yards (22.8 avg.) at Youngstown State (Nov. 13), including a 71-yard TD grab…Racked up a season-high 52 rushing yards on three carries (17.3 avg.) vs. South Dakota (Nov. 20), including a season-long 43-yard TD…2020/21: Played in 10 games with eight starts, earning first-team All-America recognition as a kickoff returner from AP, Athlon and Phil Steele's College Football…Averaged 33.8 yards on 10 kickoff returns and was the only FCS player to register two kickoff return TDs (100, 94 yards) on the season as he tied the NDSU single-season and career records…Led the team with 19 receptions for 442 yards (23.2 avg.) and a TD…Added 116 rushing yards on 21 carries (5.5 avg.) to finish with a team-high 896 all-purpose yards…Posted a season-high 93 yards on four receptions (23.3 avg.) vs. Illinois State (March 13)…Accounted for 229 all-purpose yards on his way to earning MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors at Northern Iowa (April 10), posting two receptions for 86 yards (43.0 avg.) and a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD…Scored on a 94-yard kickoff return in an NCAA quarterfinal game at Sam Houston (May 2)…2019: Played in all 16 games with 11 starts, leading the team with 34 receptions for 732 yards (21.5 avg.) and six TDs on his way to earning second-team All-MVFC honors…Ranked No. 2 in the conference in yards per reception and No. 3 in receiving yards…Carried the ball 13 times for 162 yards (12.5 avg.) and a TD and returned four kickoffs for 70 yards (17.5 avg.)…Posted a 69-yard TD reception at Youngstown State (Nov. 2)…Registered a season-high 121 receiving yards on four grabs (30.3 avg.) vs. Western Illinois (Nov. 9), including a 51-yard TD catch…Recorded a career-high seven receptions for 107 yards (15.3 avg.) in an NCAA quarterfinal win vs. Illinois State (Dec. 14)…Scored TDs on back-to-back offensive plays in the NCAA semifinal victory vs. Montana State (Dec. 21) with a 75-yard reception and a career-long 70-yard run bookending a Montana State three-and-out…2018: Appeared in 14 games with two starts as a redshirt freshman, catching nine passes for 165 yards (18.3 avg.) and returning two kickoffs for 51 yards (25.5 avg.)…Posted a season-long 48-yard reception vs. Southern Illinois (Nov. 17).
PERSONAL: Given name Christian Justus Watson…Born in Phoenix, Ariz. …Married, wife's name is Lakyn…His father, Tim, was drafted by the Packers in the sixth round of the 1993 NFL Draft and went on to play defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs (1993-95), N.Y. Giants (1995) and Philadelphia Eagles (1997)…His older brother, Tre, played linebacker at the University of Illinois (2015-17) and the University of Maryland (2018)…High school: Averaged 17.1 yards per catch with eight receiving TDs as a senior at H.B. Plant High School (Tampa, Fla.), helping his team to a 13-1 record and a state runner-up finish in 2016…Posted 587 all-purpose yards as a senior…Was a two-year letterman, playing WR and safety…Also competed in track and field, participating in the long jump and triple jump as well as the 200-meter and 4x100-meter events…Community involvement: Visited schools and volunteered at camps for kids and with food drives while in college.
