Tag: Dontayvion Wicks

As the Green Bay Packers offense continues to stall, it’s time to get first-year wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks more opportunities.

“I think he’s a guy that we got to continue to try to get more opportunities for in our offense,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “He’s shown the ability. Not only is he a great route runner, but he’s a pretty tenacious blocker.”

Wicks has been targeted 15 times this season and has caught eight of those passes at 14.0 yards per catch with a touchdown. Wicks has out-snapped Samori Toure this year 174 to 98, but in terms of where those additional snaps should come from, Wicks should be given almost all of the snaps between those two players.

Out of 98 eligible receivers, according to PFF, Wicks ranks 28th in average yards after the catch (YAC). While he doesn’t have the same blazing speed that Christian Watson or Jayden Reed do, Wicks is so, so good at creating separation through his releases at the line of scrimmage and his ability as a route runner.

Wicks is also a very willing blocker and a receiver that LaFleur can line up across the formation, playing both on the boundary and in the slot.

“He’ll get after people,” added LaFleur. “He’s physical. He’s smart. He’s a really good route runner, he’s got really strong hands, and he’s fearless. He’s a guy that we’ve got a lot of confidence in, and we’ve got to find different ways to integrate him into our offense because he’s a productive player.”

What the Packers need at the receiver position more than anything right now is stability. A contributing factor to Jordan Love’s struggles at quarterback is the fact that routes aren’t as precise as they should be. The timing of the routes has been thrown off by the physical play of opposing defenses, and the Green Bay pass catchers have struggled to make contested catches.

Love is now just 7-for-28 on passes of 20-plus yards, and it’s the Packers’ inability to connect on these throws that leaves little fear of getting beat over the top by opposing defenses. This then leads to opponents shrinking the field by playing closer to the line of scrimmage, making it harder to move the ball on short area throws or over the middle because there is less space to operate in.

Again, Wicks isn’t the fastest receiver the Packers have, but he can create space from a defender. In 2021 at Virginia, Wicks averaged 21.1 yards per catch and ranked 11th out of all eligible receivers in total downfield receiving yards, according to PFF. Not only should he be in line for more snaps, but perhaps more opportunities in this capacity as well.

Of course, with all of that said, giving Wicks more snaps does not mean that things will all of a sudden turn around for the Packers’ offense. However, he’s earned the opportunity with his play on the field up to this point, and his skill set, specifically being able to get open and pick up YAC, are two elements that could help take some of the playmaking burden off of Love’s shoulders.

Christian Watson being sidelined for the first two games has led to more snaps for Packers fifth-round rookie Dontayvion Wicks, who has been able to take advantage of those opportunities, even when the ball isn’t coming his way.

“What we’ve seen in practice has been great,” said Matt LaFleur about Wicks. “He’s done a nice job. He always knows what he’s doing, whether it’s in walkthroughs or in practice, he doesn’t make many mistakes. I thought that he played physical (in Week 1) and did his job.”

Through two weeks, Wicks has been on the field for 62 snaps, the second-most at the receiver position behind Romeo Doubs. He’s played both inside and out, with 67 percent of his snaps coming on the boundary and the other 33 percent from the slot. He has two receptions, both of which came against Atlanta for 40 yards and a touchdown.

While on their own, Wicks’ numbers aren’t going to leap off the page; stats don’t always tell the entire story, either. He is being asked to fill a variety of roles within this Packers offense and, for the most part, is executing them. We’ve seen Wicks used as the motion man. He’s been targeted at three levels of the field and has shown to be a willing and capable blocker for his size.

“He’s a guy that’s very intelligent,” added LaFleur. “He works his butt off. He always has a ton of questions. So we’ve got complete confidence that he’ll be able to go out there and execute.”

Wicks does not have the same blazing sub-4.4 speed that Watson or Jayden Reed have. During the pre-draft process, he ran a 4.62-second 40-time at the NFL Combine. However, he is a very refined route runner and has an excellent release package at the line of scrimmage, which allows him to consistently create separation against defenders.

On his touchdown catch on Sunday, Wicks was sent in motion, and with the ball being snapped while he was still on the move, Wicks was able to get up on the defender quickly, and then with the suddenness at which he broke inside, he created the separation he needed to make the catch and break the tackle for the score.

Although Wicks may not have top-end speed, he still ranked as one of the best downfield receivers during the 2021 college football season, in large part because of his route-running abilities.

With Wicks being able to win as a route runner in several ways, it allows him to take on various roles and responsibilities within this Packers offense and gives him the opportunity to win in all parts of the field as a pass catcher.

Once Watson does return, Wicks’ role in the offense will decrease to a degree. He will then be the third boundary option behind Watson and Doubs and the fourth receiver overall. Last season, nearly a quarter of Watson’s snaps came from the slot. That element, again, should be an important aspect of the Packers’ offense this season, and when Watson is lined up there, it will allow the Packers to get Wicks on the field on the boundary.

He can also provide a change-of-pace option for Reed in the slot as a bigger-bodied pass catcher that the defense has to cover. At this point as well, the snap counts for Samori Toure and Malik Heath will likely dwindle as well, especially with how active the running backs and tight ends are in the passing game, along with how often the Packers are utilizing 21 and 12 personnel–there just won’t be many snaps to go around for a fifth wide receiver.

As a fifth-round rookie who has also missed a fair amount of practice throughout training camp and the preseason with an injury, you never quite know what to expect in those first few games, and that’s if that player even has a role. However, Wicks very much looks the part as a receiver and as a route runner and can do quite a few things for this Green Bay offense.

“He’s got all the tools,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich prior to Week 1. “He does. He’s got good size, good speed, good hands. I think he‘s a guy that as he keeps getting experience, sky’s the limit for him….He’s bigger than Romeo, as far as size and stuff like that, but he’s in that same mold.”

Green Bay Packers rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks missed practice Thursday after suffering a concussion during Wednesday’s practice, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.

While the first training camp practice was designed to have limited contact, Wicks presumably suffered the head injury after taking a hit from defensive back Innis Gaines during a team drill on Wednesday, per Andy Herman of Packer Report.

While line-of-scrimmage players wear “Guardian Caps” on their helmets during practices to help prevent head injuries, receivers do not wear the extra helmet protection.

Wicks was the only injury addition on Thursday, the second practice of training camp.

The Packers made Wicks a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft. The former Virginia star has an opportunity to compete for targets and snaps behind Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed at receiver during training camp. Wicks will need to pass through the league’s concussion protocol before returning to practice in Green Bay.