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Dontayvion Wicks was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the NFL Draft with the No. 159 overall pick.
Dontayvion Wicks opted to enter the 2023 NFL Draft after a disappointing season that saw him regress from a stellar 2022 campaign. Despite the struggles, he should still get the opportunity to show a team he can regain that form.
His best season came in 2021 when he caught 57 passes for 1,203 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 21 yards per catch and 100 yards receiving per game. Wicks wouldn’t do much as a freshman, and he had to miss the entire 2020 season with an injury sustained in preseason camp. During the 2022 season, he only played in eight games catching 30 passes for 430 yards and two touchdowns. Wicks would miss the final two games with an injury.
Dontayvion Wicks: Scouting Report
Wicks does extremely well catching passes 20+ yards down the field, he does a good job accelerating from receivers at the right point in his route. When locked in, he’s shown that he can be a really good downfield threat for a team. He has a quick twitch to break in and out of routes and is elusive enough to get away from receivers.
A lot of teams will have questions about whether or not his production in 2021 was just a flash in the pan. There is no way to answer that question now but to be productive at the next level. At times Wicks can lack attention to detail in his routes, so he will need to hone in on those skills because it makes a big difference in the NFL. He ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at the combine, but he suffered an injury while running that probably affected his time.
Mock Draft landing spots
Wicks is being projected as a Day 3 selection by most draft analysts. Some have him going in the fourth while others like NFL.com’s Chad Reuter have him going in the seventh at No. 219 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fantasy football implications
Wicks has some upside, but in his rookie year, I don’t expect you to see him on many fantasy teams. His ability to make plays down the field sticks out, but it will be some time before he adjusts to the NFL physicality. I could see him as a WR3/Flex a few years down the line, but nothing much more.