In his rookie season, the Green Bay Packers coaching staff praised rookie quarterback Dontayvion Weeks, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, for his ability to split at the top of his routes. He even drew comparisons to former star wide receiver Davante Adams. But how good was rookie Wicks? Green Bay has had a rotation of four or five players at the receiver position this year. This means that Weeks was never really the best receiver for the Packers. Check out Arjun Menon’s stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.Openly comparing this season’s best and worst receivers in one-man coverage.
pic.twitter.com/1kO9t6eAbY— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) January 30, 2024Menon said no player in the 2023 NFL has a higher rate of route-to-man coverage leading to separation from the quarterback than Weeks. This has been a particular weakness for the Packers since 2022 until Christian Watson played against the Dallas Cowboys. With Watson out midway through the regular season with a hamstring problem, Weeks stepped into the team’s starting kick spot.To put Weeks’ rushing numbers into perspective, he played less than a third of the man coverage New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson saw in 2023, according to Menon’s chart. So how good is VIXX? It could be very good.
The question now is whether they’ll simply allow him to play a higher percentage of snaps in 2024 or if the coaching staff will continue to rotate between Weeks, Watson, Romeo Dubs, Jaden Reed and Bo Melton. However, given his potential to increase production, don’t be surprised if Wicks, a Day 3 pick, becomes the Packers’ first receiving option going forward.
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