After a terrible Week 1 loss to the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers turned their season around and now sit near the top of the NFC at 3-1. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' 2022 offense hasn’t reached the heights of years past yet, but it is an improving unit that seems to get better every game. The offense included the team’s biggest disappointment thus far, first-round wide receiver Christian Watson, but it also is home to the team's most pleasant surprise. Rookie Romeo Doubs’ 2022 season is off to a great start. The fourth-round WR is improving by the game, and he is making a case to be the team’s new No. 1 pass-catching option. Here is why the Packers' Romeo Doubs is the franchise’s most pleasant surprise through the first 4 weeks of the 2022 NFL season.

Packers' pleasant surprises in 2022

This offseason, the Packers traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders and let Marquez Valdes-Scantling go to the Kansas City Chiefs. Because of these moves, Aaron Rodgers and company were in desperate need of a WR1 heading into the 2022 NFL Draft.

The team traded two second-round picks to move up to No. 34 and draft North Dakota State WR Christian Watson, hoping he would be Adams 2.0 this season. Thanks to injuries and dubious hands in the first four weeks of the Packers' 2022 season, Watson isn’t that guy right now.

However, the team took another wideout in Round 4 this year. Romeo Doubs from Nevada was that pick, and through Week 4, he is the pass-catcher who looks like he has what it takes to become Rodgers’ new favorite target.

At 6-foot-2, 204 pounds, Doubs has good size for an NFL WR, but he doesn’t look like the prototypical No. 1 like Watson does at a strapping 6-foot-4, 208 pounds.

Teams can’t draft prospects on looks alone, though. When comparing college stats, Doubs’ numbers look much better on paper than Watson’s. Not only did Doubs play for the FBS Wolfpack while Watson played for the FCS Bison, but the Nevada receiver had better production.

Watson’s best year (against inferior competition) was 43 catches with 802 yards in his senior season. He also has a staggering 12.4% drop rate that year. On the other hand, Doubs put up 58 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns his junior year and 80 catches for 1,109 yards and 11 TDs as a senior.

Even with the statistical disparity, Watson was a borderline first-rounder, and most mock drafts had Doubs in the fourth (where he went No. 132 overall) or fifth.

From the beginning of the Packers' 2022 OTAs, it was starting to become apparent that Doubs would be the better pass-catcher this season. He not only looked better in camp, but he also stayed healthy. And as all NFL fans know, one of the best abilities to have at the pro level is avail-ability.

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Oct 13, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) celebrates with wide receivers Christian Watson (9) and Jayden Reed (11) after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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Romeo Doubs’ 2022 season isn’t just about being a warm body on the roster. While Watson has already dropped big passes in big spots (see the first play of the Packers 2022 season), Doubs has continually earned more and more trust from Rodgers as the season has gone along.

Four weeks into the season, Doubs' stat lines have increasingly become more impressive. His numbers by game look like this:

  • Week 1: five targets, four catches, 37 yards
  • Week 2: three targets, two catches, 27 yards
  • Week 3: eight targets, eight catches, 73 yards, and one touchdown
  • Week 4: eight targets, five catches, 47 yards, and one touchdown

And maybe the most telling number is that he has been out on the field for more of the team’s offensive snaps almost every week. Doubs’ 2022 snap count went from 35 to 25 to 55 to 70 from Week 1 to Week 4. This is the biggest telltale sign of Aaron Rodgers, head coach Matt LaFleur, and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich's growing belief in Doubs.

With general manager Brian Gutekunst’s moves this offseason, the Packers' 2022 eggs were all in the rookie wide receiver basket. The team wouldn’t be able to perform to the level it’s become accustomed to unless one of their first-year pass-catchers stepped up.

In this case, missing on an early-round rookie WR like Christian Watson could have been a death blow to the Green Bay O. Lucky for the team, the Packers' Romeo Doubs has exceeded his draft position and looks poised to become a top target in the league for a long time to come.

And that is a welcome (and incredibly pleasant) surprise for Packers fans and the organization alike.