The first week of training camp is officially in the books for the Green Bay Packers, and it was an eventful week despite no pads.
We should never overreact to what we see in the first week or even two weeks of practice, but there are a few players who are trending upward that we should mention.
And on the flipside, there is one rookie who is in a worse spot today than he was a week ago. Let's take a look at a few winners and losers from the first week of practices for the Green Bay Packers:
Who are the Packers' biggest winners and losers from the first week of training camp?
Winner: Dontayvion Wicks
Trying to figure out the wide receiver depth chart for the Packers seems like an impossible task, and it’s been even tougher in camp. The Packers are trying to usher in two new receivers (Matthew Golden, Saivion Williams) on top of all the depth that has already been on the roster.
But one player who has consistently stood out is Dontayvion Wicks, the third-year receiver from Virginia. Wicks regressed in Year 2 as drops became an even bigger issue for him. However, he’s been one of the brightest stars of camp.
Jordan Love connected with Wicks on a deep shot during Friday’s practice that was ruled a touchdown. The throw and catch drew some attention from teammates, and it’s just a reminder of the ceiling for Wicks. If he can continue this positive momentum throughout the rest of training camp and into the preseason, maybe we will see him have a more consistent role during the 2025 season.
Loser: Savion Williams
It’s tough to call anyone a “loser” after just a few non-padded practices, but Williams falls into that category because of his injury. Williams suffered a concussion early in camp and will likely miss the next week, at least. That is always an issue for a rookie trying to get up to speed in the NFL, but especially for someone who is as raw as Williams is going into Year 1.
Williams is an extremely talented player, and that has been proven in camp already, but he is not a refined receiver. He was more of a gadget player in college, and TCU did a good job of scheming ways for him to get touches. The Packers will likely do the same early in his career. But missing practice time, especially early in camp, could set him back and reduce his role on the offense early in the season.
It also doesn’t help that Williams is playing on a team that has the best wide receiver depth in the league, and a week or two of lost practice time could make a big difference. Hopefully, he is able to recover in no time, but expect the Packers to exercise caution with the former TCU star.
Winner: Nate Hobbs
It hasn’t taken long for Hobbs to prove why the Packers targeted him aggressively in free agency. Hobbs has made numerous plays during the team period, including two key pass breakups, one against Josh Jacobs and another against Wicks. He’s played both in the slot and on the outside, which is exactly why the Packers wanted to add him to their defense this offseason.
Hobbs played on the outside with the Raiders, but his best snaps came from the slot. We should expect the Packers to move him around a ton depending on the matchup, and that has been the case so far in camp. We will see how he looks once the pads come on, but so far, Hobbs has been as good as advertised.