Grading the Green Bay Packers 2023 rookie class after first season

Dontayvion Wicks

Grade: A

Round 5 (159th overall)

To start the season, few to no bingo cards had Wicks ending the season as a fan favorite and serious candidate to assume a role as a top pass catcher for the team in 2024. But that's exactly what happened.

Wicks proved to be a route-running savant and was regularly compared to former Packers receiver Davante Adams for his ability to separate. It seemed like Wicks was always open, and his 50% win rate against man coverage was good for sixth in the NFL.

What's more impressive is that Wicks is not running short routes. In fact, Wicks had the 11th highest yard per target (10.0) and was 25th for yards per reception (14.9). Despite mostly running intermediate routes, Love's 115.7 passer rating when targeting Wicks was the 13th-best mark in the NFL.

The Packers receiver room has quickly become jam-packed, but Wicks will undoubtedly be one of Jordan Love's top pass catchers in 2024.

Karl Brooks

Grade: A

Round 6 (179th overall)

Had it not been for the play of fellow day three draft picks Dontayvion Wicks and Carrington Valentine, Brooks would be a shoo-in for the Packers' steal of the draft.

Brooks finished with the third-best pass rush win rate among all qualified rookie defensive tackles, and he tied with Lukas Van Ness for most sacks among Packers rookies (4). While logging the second-most snaps of Packers' defensive rookies (380), he led the team's defensive front-seven players in pass deflections (4).

Brooks finished his first two playoff games with three tackles, a QB hit and continued to cause havoc for offensive guards in his limited reps.

Given his sixth-round draft status and contributions on the field, it's reasonable to consider Brooks one of the steals in the entire 2023 class.