One rookie wide receiver who has emerged over the second half of the season is Green Bay Packers' Dontayvion Wicks. In the Packers' most recent game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wicks led the team in receiving as he put up his highest total of the year with six receptions for 97 yards. Wicks has yet to break the 100-yard threshold, but he has now crossed 90 yards for the second time in his young career.
With a large rookie receiving class this season featuring plenty of first-rounders like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison, as well as later round picks including Rashee Rice and Puka Nacua, Wicks has flown under the radar. Even fellow Packers rookie receiver Jayden Reed has garnered more attention than Wicks!
However, Wicks' production has not gone unnoticed in Green Bay. After his team-leading game against the Buccaneers, quarterback Jordan Love spoke on what Wicks has done well throughout his rookie year.
“He's always asking questions, always asking if he's in the right spot,” Love said. “I think he's a really good route-runner, really shifty guy, catches the ball really well and he's making plays after the catch. He's getting a lot of YAC right now. He's just a tough guy. He's doing a lot of really good things,” via Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' website.
So far, Wicks has 31 receptions for 491 yards and a touchdown, while notably leading all rookie receivers with 15.8 yards per receptions. With Wicks emerging alongside Reed, Luke Musgrave and Christian Watson, the Packers have a solid young receiving core to build off of in the coming years.