It makes sense for the Packers to use premium draft capital to replace Dontayvion Wicks

Christian Watson will probably get an extension and Matthew Golden showed plenty of promise last season, but the departure of Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks leaves a glaring hole at receiver.

The Green Bay Packers have a hypothetical option for one of the best hypothetical players of the last half-decade in Green and Gold. Dontayvion Wicks, early in his career nicknamed “Davantayvion” for his silky route-running proficiency and feel for the position, never matched that hype, but fans held onto the glimpses and flashes. Injuries and inconsistencies stifled his development, to be sure, and the Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving offered a tantalizing look at what might have been for Wicks.

But he’s gone now, and Brian Gutekunst has a deep receiver draft to find his replacement. And to be clear, they need to find a replacement, not because Wicks was particularly vital to the team’s Super Bowl hopes in 2026, but because only Matthew Golden and Savion Williams have contracts in that receiver room beyond this season.

They traded Wicks precisely because with Wicks on the roster, the Packers had too many receivers to sufficiently plan for the future, and they simply weren’t going to pay everyone.

Frankly, they might not pay anyone depending on how the Christian Watson market shakes out.

Even if the team plans to pay Watson, we haven’t seen nearly enough from Golden or Williams to stamp them as core members of the team, and Jayden Reed’s contract will also be up at the end of the 2026 season.

Not only are there myriad questions about the composition of that room, but one receiver can be hugely impactful to an offense from a draft standpoint. In terms of premium positions, receiver is up there behind quarterback and pass rusher in terms of the singular impact a player can make. Offensive tackles and cornerbacks are cornerstone pieces, but they’re part of weak-link systems.

Ask Joe Thomas, a Hall of Fame player, about some mediocre lines he played on because one guy can’t elevate everyone.

The shape of this particular draft class and draft history overall points the Packers toward using an early pick on a receiver.