How high is Dontayvion Wicks' ceiling?
With rookie Dontayvion Wicks moving closer to taking over as one of the Packers' primary wideouts on the boundary, it seems pertinent to establish what he brings to the table.
When the Green Bay Packers assembled the supporting cast for Jordan Love's first season as a full-time starting quarterback, they likely envisioned certain players serving as the fulcrum of his receiving corps. Christian Watson, the receiver who broke out during the second half of 2022, seemed ready to step in as the leader among the wideouts with Romeo Doubs, another second-year pro, serving as a safety valve. Jayden Reed, one of the team's big draft additions this year, would handle slot duties, jet sweeps, and other forms of offensive gadgetry.
Some of those plans have worked out better than others. Hamstring injuries have limited Watson to just nine games, including each of the past two contests. Perhaps because of those issues, his performance has fluctuated. Doubs leads the team in targets (84) and touchdown catches (seven) while also holding a sizable lead in first downs created (34), though his penchant for mishandling passes has limited his upside. Reed has seen the vast majority of his work from the slot (74.3% of his snaps) and has exceeded expectations, becoming a scoring machine and big-play threat.
Still, with Watson and Doubs dealing with different issues and Reed, while highly effective as a rookie, an atypical choice to play along the boundary due to his 5-foot-11, 187-pound frame, the Packers' passing game can't depend on just that trio alone.
The offense's particular needs have not gone unmet, however. Dontayvion Wicks, a fifth-round rookie who arrived in Green Bay with little fanfare, has earned a seat at the table with stellar play and perhaps a full-time starting role in the near future.
Back in late October, The Leap made the case that Wicks had earned a larger role on offense. At that time, the rookie had seen just 27 combined snaps over the previous two games despite showing an aptitude for separating from defenders in press and finding the soft spots in zone coverage. The Packers apparently saw the same traits, as Wicks' workload surged in the weeks that followed. That trend hasn't waned, with the wideout seeing 90 snaps during the past two weeks, all while battling an ankle injury.
In part because of those additional opportunities, Wicks has quietly put together an impressive season. With three weeks left in the season, Wicks has already amassed the eighth most receiving yards by a Packers rookie since the merger. He would only need to average roughly 62 yards per game the rest of the way to move into third place.
Still, those figures don't capture the full scope of Wicks' season. Because the rookie stood behind so many pass catchers in the pecking order early in the year, he has only appeared on 46% of the offensive snaps (sixth among the Packers' wideouts and tight ends) and only seen 49 targets (fourth). And despite the limited workload, Wicks' 10 reception of 20-plus yards leads the team while his 25 first downs created fall just one short of second place. When Green Bay needs a big play or to move the sticks, Wicks has proven he can deliver.
At this point, no one can debate whether Wicks has earned his seat at the table. He has arguably performed better than any other Green Bay boundary receiver this season -- Watson's health issues and struggles in contested-catch situations factor into this discussion -- and clearly shouldn't have lasted until the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. But with Wicks' emergence comes bigger questions: What type of receiver can he become and how high is his ceiling?
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