Packers Trade Dontayvion Wicks; Subtraction Might Mean Addition

The trade gives the Packers nine picks in this year’s draft.

• Second round: No. 52 overall.

• Third round: No. 84 overall.

• Fourth round: No. 120 overall

• Fifth round: No. 153 overall (Philadelphia’s pick) and No. 160 overall.

• Sixth round: No. 201 overall.

• Seventh round: No. 236 overall and No. 255 overall (compensatory pick).

Dontayvion Wicks’ Inconsistency

When Wicks was on, he was a good player. On Thanksgiving at Detroit, he was arguably the best player on the field when he caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns despite playing through an ankle injury.

“I just can’t say enough great things about Wicks,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. “We’ve all seen the type of season that it’s been for him in regards to battling through. He’s been injured quite a bit – it’s been in and out of the lineup – but he made critical plays all game.

“The touchdown on fourth down, obviously, the fourth-down conversion there at the end, just really proud of him and just his, you know, mental toughness to stay with it, because he’s a hell of a player. He’s a tough guy to cover, and he came up big for us today.”

However, he caught only four passes for 25 yards during his final six games of the season.

Wicks caught 39 passes for 581 yards and four touchdowns during a promising rookie season. In 2024, he caught 39 passes for 415 yards and five touchdowns, but he dropped eight passes and had the second-highest drop rate in the NFL at 17.0 percent, according to Pro Football Focus.

In 2025, he caught 30 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns. He dropped three passes for a 9.1 drop percentage. According to Stathead, he set career lows for missed tackles (two) and yards after the catch per catch (2.2).

Wicks’ route-running ability and feistiness as a blocker will be missed.

“It was just like a mental thing. Just thinking a lot, thinking too much,” Wicks said of overcoming the drops that plagued him. “Really tuning (out) the outside noise, that’s just the best thing for me this year, tuning that out, just being in the circle with the team, because I know they believe in me and I know the coaches believe in me. Just staying in there with the team, that’s how I’m going to be the best.”

Subtraction And Addition?

The Packers came into the offseason with a bit of a conundrum at receiver. While they lost Romeo Doubs in free agency, they had a strong group of six with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Wicks, 2025 rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, and free-agent addition Skyy Moore.

However, looking ahead to next offseason, Watson, Reed, Wicks and Moore were all set to be free agents, leaving only Golden and Williams under contract.

Given the price to retain a quality receiver – look no further than Doubs getting $68 million over four seasons from the Patriots without so much as a single 725-yard season – there was no guarantee the Packers would keep their upcoming free agents.

That reality probably means general manager Brian Gutekunst will be looking to add to the receiver corps in this year’s draft. Doing so, however, would have given the Packers seven receivers – Watson, Reed, Wicks, Moore, Golden, Williams and the rookie – which would have left the Packers short at another position.

Trading Wicks now leaves the Packers with five receivers and the ability to draft another to take six into the season.

More Opportunities

Without Doubs and Wicks, there will be more opportunities for the returning receivers. Doubs was targeted a team-high 85 times last season and Wicks had 46. That’s 131 passes that can go to other players.

Golden, last year’s first-round pick, had a tremendous training camp and a promising start to his rookie season before losing targets due to his own injuries and the returns of Watson and Reed. He should be one of the biggest beneficiaries. He finished last season with a bang with a big playoff game at Chicago that included his first career touchdown.

“I thought Matthew did a great job,” Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine. “With all the opportunities we gave him, I thought he did an excellent job. I would have loved to have seen him get more opportunities through the year.

“It didn’t work out that way but, when he did, he performed, and he performed at a high level. I’m really excited to see where he goes in Year 2. Obviously, he was a third-year player coming out of college – one year at Texas, two years at Houston. So, I think his ceiling is very, very high. We’re very, very excited about what he’s going to do for our football team moving forward.”

Williams was a nonfactor, for the most part, beyond getting a manufactured touch every game and returning kickoffs. As a third-round pick, he needs to have a bigger role on the offense other than the occasional handoff or swing pass.

Watson was excellent down the stretch when he returned from his torn ACL, and Tucker Kraft might be ready for Week 1 following his torn ACL.

Reed had a down year, due in part to a broken collarbone sustained in Week 2, but led the team in receptions and receiving yards during each of his first two seasons.

Combined, a pass-catching corps of Watson, Golden, Reed, Williams and Kraft should be plenty for Jordan Love.

Finances and 2027

According to OverTheCap.com, the Packers will create an additional $3.674 million in cap space. That was his base salary for the 2026 season. That could help fund an extension for Watson or Kraft.

Meanwhile, the 2027 draft is supposed to be a blockbuster, and the Packers are loading up.. This is what it could look like.

• First round: None.

• Second round. One.

• Third round. Two (including potential Malik Willis compensatory pick).

• Fourth round: Three (including Rashan Gary trade and Romeo Doubs compensatory pick).

• Fifth round: Two (including Quay Walker compensatory pick).

• Sixth round: Two (Kingsley Enagbare compensatory pick and Wicks trade).

• Seventh round: One.

Packers Predraft Visits

“Blanket” cornerback | Multifaceted running back | Prove-it cornerback | Most athletic D-lineman | From done to drafted? | Will he be first pick? | Receiver to linebacker | Championship running back | All-American defensive tackle | Big-play receiver | Tough-as-nails QB | A top running back | 99th percentile corner | Rising Big Ten blocker | Walk-on safety to NFL | Round 3 pass rusher | Hard-hitting linebacker | Round 3 receiver