NFL coach puts league on notice about Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks

The Green Bay Packers are excited about Dontayvion Wicks' potential, and understandably so.

Wicks made an outstanding start to his NFL career, proving why the Packers landed one of the steals of the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting him in the fifth round. Wicks quickly became a favorite target for Jordan Love, catching 39 passes for 581 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season.

He earned comparisons to Davante Adams—even from head coach Matt LaFleur—which is the highest praise imaginable. LaFleur said the "sky's the limit" for Wicks, while Pro Football Focus named him the Packers' "secret superstar."

The comparisons to Adams are understandable. Wicks' release off the line and smooth route-running made it hard to believe he was a Day 3 pick in his rookie season. Per PFF, he got open on 55.13 percent of snaps against single man coverage, the highest among all wide receivers.

Wicks proved it against the best cornerbacks in the game. Love deserves praise for his 20-yard touchdown pass to Wicks in the wild-card win over the Dallas Cowboys. Love recognized he was facing Cover 0 and made necessary adjustments to the protection before firing a beautiful pass to Wicks. LaFleur called it Love's best throw.

However, Wicks' role in the play gets overlooked. His route-running was on full display as he got open one-on-one against five-time Pro Bowler and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.

Green Bay has an exciting receiving corps with unlimited potential, and Wicks can become a star in this offense.

Dontayvion Wicks' speed coach believes Packers receiver will 'take over'

Wicks' preparations for his second season in the NFL are well underway, and he is working with speed coach Les Spellman.

Spellman has worked with several NFL stars, including Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Wicks. He has officially put everyone on notice about what's to come with Wicks. He posted this on his Instagram account:

"My favorite thing as a coach is knowing a guy's about to take OVER — but nobody knows yet. It's like your sitting on this big secret. Then BOOM the world finds out and they go crazy. And we just sit and laugh because it was just planning. It wasn't random. It wasn't luck. It wasn't the "perfect" situation. We fought for it. For years. Then we do it again. We increase value. This game is about getting the highest value early then increasing it even more until they have NO choice but to meet your demands. We've done it over and over again but for some reason everyone comments how lucky or perfect the situation was. So I guess I'm writing all this just so y'all are on notice NOW. HES NEXT."

- Les Spellman via Instagram

It's hard to disagree. Wicks' route-running and ability to get open in year one as a fifth-round rookie was hard to believe, especially considering he missed most of training camp due to injury. If that's the beginning, imagine how much better he will be in his second season.

According to Pro Football Reference, Wicks led the Packers in yards after catch per reception as well as broken tackles. Not only is he always wide open, but he makes defenders miss and picks up additional yardage after making the reception.

Big plays? Wicks provides that, too. He averaged 14.9 yards per reception in 2023—only Christian Watson had more at 15.1. Including the postseason, Wicks caught five touchdown passes, including three of at least 20 yards.

The scary part is there are areas Wicks can improve. Ball security was a slight concern, as he fumbled three times. That's an area he must get better.

But there's no denying his potential to become a superstar. He only started six games and played a little over 40 percent of the snaps, but by the end of the year, Wicks was one of the Packers' best receivers.

LaFleur said the sky is the limit. Spellman said Wicks is about to take over. It's hard to disagree.

There's a ton of reasons to be excited about the Packers right now and DraftKings is giving you 150 more reasons! You'll instantly win $150 in bonus bets if you sign up, deposit $10 or more and then bet $5 or more on any wager this week, win or lose. Click this link to sign up with DraftKings today!

More Packers news and analysis