Pro Football Focus recently named one “secret superstar” on each NFL team, and wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks was the pick for the Green Bay Packers.
Wicks finished his rookie season catching 67 percent of his 61 targets at 14.8 yards per catch with five touchdowns. It was during the second half of the season where Wicks’ role began to expand, becoming a reliable go-to target for quarterback Jordan Love, oftentimes in key situations.
On third downs, Wicks hauled in 70 percent of his 20 targets at 14.1 yards per catch with 13 of his 14 receptions going for first downs.
“He’s always asking questions, always asking if he’s in the right spot,” said quarterback Jordan Love of Wicks late in the season. “I think he’s a really good route-runner, really shifty guy, catches the ball really well and he’s making plays after the catch. He’s getting a lot of YAC right now. He’s just a tough guy. He’s doing a lot of really good things.”
Two areas where Wicks was able to standout, which led to his success as a receiver, was as a route runner – he was very refined for a rookie – and in his ability with the ball in his hands to pick up yards after the catch (YAC).
Wicks’ footwork and release at the line of scrimmage allows him to create separation almost immediately. His suddenness as a route runner and ability to sell that he’s heading one direction and then goes the other keeps cornerbacks off-balanced and guessing.
Matt LaFleur made sure to say that, of course, Wicks has a way to go in his development, but from a pure skillset standpoint, he reminds LaFleur of Davante Adams.
“I just think it’s that short-area quickness,” said LaFleur. “The way I like to compare is crossing somebody over on the basketball court. He’s got that ability to play on his insteps and he’s got that short-area quickness. He’s got a ways to go before he gets to (Adams’) level, but I do think as far as the skillset and all that, that you look for in a guy, I think the sky’s the limit for him, quite frankly.”
One can’t quantify feel, but Wicks has it—this innate ability to know where the defenders are, when to sit in the soft spot of the coverage, and when to accelerate through one zone to the next.
This element coupled with Wicks’ route running abilities resulted in him frequently being open, which is why Love targeted him as often as he did and in high leverage situations. Against man coverage, Wicks was the best in football at creating separation, according to PFF, open on 55 percent of his routes.
With the ball in his hands, along with the separation that he was able to naturally create as a route runner, Wicks was dynamic. From Weeks 10 through 18, Wicks averaged an impressive 7.1 yards after the catch, good for the ninth-best rate in football during that span among receivers.
“He has a great mindset,” said wide receivers coach Jason about Wicks after the catch. “He has a great mindset, but if you really watched him on contact, he has a running back lower half where his whole foot gets in the ground off contact, and it’s really strong in his lower half. He does a good job when the first guy touches him that his pad level is low and he just runs through it.”
There were times where one Packers’ receiver emerged and took a game over, but for the most part, Green Bay didn’t have a true No. 1 receiver. Although that can sound like a disadvantage, it actually was a strength of this offense. Regardless of the situation, Love could throw the ball to any one of a handful of players, forcing the defense to defend the entire field.
However, as we look ahead to 2024 and beyond, Wicks could emerge as Love’s consistent top target. He has the ability to line up all over the formation, fill a number of roles, along with being able to win in a variety of ways while doing so in all parts of the field—and that’s the hallmark of what a No. 1 receiver does.