What Scouts Said About Dontayvion Wicks

The Packers selected Virginia wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks with pick 159 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here’s what evaluators said about Wicks in the pre-draft process.

Strengths

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Fantastic frame with above-average length and wingspan ... displays the lateral burst and foot quickness to shake/split defenders vs. press or at the top

of routes ... build-up speed on vertical patterns ... above-average catching range and flashes ball-winning traits ... makes athletic adjustments to the football, and his acrobatic grabs are expected ... needs to be more consistent with it, but will use gear change in his routes to tease corners ... plays with the body control to swipe away press for early stacks ... has the start-stop balance to make defenders miss after the catch ... explosive plays are all over his 2021 tape.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Gained 20-plus yards on nearly half of his receptions (27 of 57) in 2021. Speed and stride changes create uncertainty for defenders. Able to make sharp, unorthodox cuts to stymie coverage. Quality acceleration out of route stems and fakes. Changes downfield pace according to ball flight when tracking. Able to bounce high and grab high-point catches. Elusiveness leads to big run-after-catch opportunities.

Joe Marino, Draft Network — Vertical receiving skill set. Ball skills. Competitive toughness.  Release package

Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network — With his brand of athleticism, Wicks naturally has enticing potential as a route runner. At the line, the Virginia WR can execute brisk jab and rocker steps to gain displacement, then capitalize with acceleration. He incorporates fast feet and quick head fakes on releases and can seamlessly transition to vertical acceleration after generating displacement. He has fast, efficient feet at the line and can quickly plant and drive upfield.

NFL Draft Buzz — Has elite balance tight-roping the sideline and in-and-out of his breaks, showing excellent start-stop ability and burst. Has good body strength to squirm out of tackles with the coordination to maneuver his frame between defenders. Has the strong hands any NFL wide receiver coach and quarterback would covet. Tracks the deep ball over either shoulder and brings in passes fluidly without breaking stride downfield. Wicks combines good speed with his size, and Wicks accelerates off the line better than most big receivers. Wicks accelerates 0-to-60 and hits top speed fast enough to outrun angles. He’s also flexible and agile, able to keep the pedal to the floor as he turns and weaves. An impressive athlete with very quick acceleration to reach his top speed quickly and stretch the field. Very good body control and smooth movements. Plays fast and explosive.

The 33rd Team — Has the ideal size to play the role of an outside receiver in the NFL. Good toughness on contested catches and is not afraid to go over the middle of the field. Good effort as a blocker in the run game when the ball went to his side of the field.

Bleacher Report — Very good speed on film. Reliable deep threat. Very good lateral movement and agility. Very good understanding of how to create space before the catch point. Uses his arms effectively. Great ball tracking and coordination. Can contort his body to find the ball and keep feet in bounds.

Weaknesses

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — Struggled to adjust to the new offense in 2022 and saw his production freefall ... drops have been a perpetual issue, especially throughout his senior season ... prone to body catches and streaky focus ... long, upright strider in the drive phase and break point ... spends too much time attached to coverage and must learn how to be more consistent with his route tempo ... concentration drops with crowded catch points ... poor ball security after the catch (three fumbles over the past two seasons) ... saw some snaps as a protector on punt coverage but needs to expand his special teams résumé ... missed two games as a senior because of a bone bruise (October 2022) and suffered a Lisfranc injury in his right foot (August 2020), which sidelined him for the entire 2020 season.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Challenging 2022 season with huge drop in production. Routes lack attention to detail. Dropped 14 passes over the last two seasons, per PFF. Below average concentration and hand-eye coordination. Inconsistent in attacking the football when contested. Allows defender to play through him toward the football.

Joe Marino, Draft Network — Drops and ball security. The 2022 season. Modest YAC profile

Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network — Wicks grades highly in many physical areas. There aren’t any sorely lacking traits, but one could argue that few of his components are quantifiably elite outside of his burst. And even then, he doesn’t always channel elite burst out of transitions. He sometimes needs a runway to gear up to his max speed. Wicks’ long speed is another area of concern. While he can gear up quickly off the line, he visibly maxes out when attacking downfield, and he’s not a consistent field stretcher. He can’t consistently stack defenders in the deep third, and he’s not a threat to sustain separation downfield. His 4.62 40-yard dash only confirmed that.

NFL Draft Buzz — Does not always use his hands to secure deep throws, sometimes allowing the ball into his pads and chest. He’ll have to develop a better feel for sitting down against zone coverage. Wicks really isn’t a guy who will create a lot of separation especially against faster corners

The 33rd Team — Lacks top-end speed to get over the top or separate from his defender. Just average lateral quickness in and out of his breaks and releasing off the line into his route. Showed very inconsistent hands when looking to run after the catch, needs to slow his process down.

Bleacher Report — Severe drops issue in 2022. Below-average play strength. Can struggle to beat press. Too loose of a route runner right now. Has a tendency to lose his balance and disrupt timing of the route.

Overall

Dane Brugler, The Athletic — A two-year starter at Virginia, Wicks was the X receiver in head coach Tony Elliott’s pro-style spread offense. He put his name on the early-round NFL Draft radar as a junior with a school-record 1,203 receiving yards, including 27 plays of 20-plus yards. But his senior year was the opposite in terms of production as he struggled to match his junior year success while learning the new offense under Elliott. Wicks’ basketball background shows on the football field with his athletic movements, body length and ability to elevate and out-rebound the football. However, the concentration drops are a glaring issue, and he must buckle down on the finer points of the position to maximize his talent. Overall, Wicks’ evaluation is complicated because of the night-and-day difference between his 2021 and 2022 performances, but the raw talent is there for him to continue ascending as he polishes his game. His development potential will understandably capture the interest from NFL teams in the top four rounds.

Lance Zerlein, NFL.com — Wicks proved in 2021 that he has a set of skills to threaten defenses with big-play potential, but he’s coming off a disappointing 2022 season. Focus drops have been an issue for him over the last two seasons, but they seemed to impact his overall confidence in 2022. He lacks attention to detail as a route runner but it is worth noting that he finds ways to separate with instincts and pure athleticism. Wicks has talent to cultivate, but gaining the confidence of a GM, head coach or quarterback must start with catching the football more consistently.

Joe Marino, Draft Network — Wicks has the upside to become a featured component of an NFL passing offense with continued development. At a minimum, Wicks should be an outstanding special teamer given his size, athleticism, and toughness that also provides value as a WR3 or 4. 

The 33rd Team — Wicks has the ideal size to play the X position in the NFL. He is just an average athlete showing average speed and lateral quickness. He struggles to separate from his defender and lacks the over-the-top speed to be a real big play threat. He is going to have to be a possession receiver to be successful at the next level. He lacks quickness in and out of his cuts at the top of his route and struggles to release off-press coverage. He needs to improve his hands and work on his strength at the catch point to be a viable threat in an offense. He did show good toughness in contested catch situations and going over the middle. He also showed good effort in the run game as a blocker when he knew the ball was coming his way. Due to his size, someone will take a flier on him in the later rounds of the draft.

Bleacher Report — Wicks has the potential to be an effective field-stretching No. 2. It's not easy to find receivers with his size, speed, and ball-tracking ability. That said, Wicks needs to find consistency in his non-deep routes, hands and health. He would fit best in a vertical offense that has the flexibility to move him around between the slot and an off-the-ball outside position.

Where Dontayvion Wicks ranked on evaluators’ big boards

Bleacher Report — 106

NFL Mock Draft Database Consensus Big Board — 162

Todd McShay, ESPN — 167

Pro Football Focus  — 188