Dontayvion Wicks stats eerily similar to Packers legend after 2 years: Breakout coming?

After flashing high end potential as a rookie, Dontayvion Wicks stalled in his second season with the Green Bay Packers, pouring some cold water on the unbridled optimism which was felt about the receiver at this time a year ago.

Although his stock is now somewhat depressed, there is an apt comparison which should give Packers fans hope Wicks can indeed hit the ceiling he showed in his first season.

Wicks has drawn some favorable comparisons to All-Pro receiver and former Packer Davante Adams in the past, with even Matt LaFleur admitting Wicks’ playstyle reminds him of Adams.

Neither of them are true burners, running in the 4.5s, and both have ideal size, with both receivers at around the 6-1 and 210 pounds mark.

On the field, the comparison checks out in terms of the way Wicks moves, how he can win with nimble feet at the line and consistently get open on his routes. Wicks excels on any chart detailing wide receiver separation which pops up on social media.

His problem of course is drops, at least in 2024, when Wicks had an abysmal year in terms of dropping the football.

This is another area in which the first two years of Wicks and Adams’ respective NFL careers are similar though, as Adams struggled mightily with drops in his second season.

Looking at the overall statistical profiles of Wicks and Adams through their first two years, there are some eerie similarities.

Wicks averaged 529.5 yards in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, while Adams averaged 550.5 across his rookie and sophomore campaigns. Wicks caught 59.25% of his targets, with Adams catching 60%.

Adams actually had a higher drop rate than Wicks in his first two years at 11.8%, compared to 11.35% for Wicks.

Both players saw their targets go up from Year 1 to Year 2, yet both caught a lower percentage of their targets in Year 2, had a higher number of drops, fewer receiving yards and a lower yards per reception.

In terms of differences, there are some numbers which favor Adams and some in which Wicks performed better.

Adams averaged 13 more targets per season across his first two years in the league (83.5 to 70.5) and caught nine more passes on average (50 to 41).

Wicks on the other hand had a stronger yards per reception average at 12.95, compared to 11.1 for Adams. He averaged five touchdowns per season to Adams’ three.

His yards per route run was markedly better at 1.68 to 1.07, and Wicks’ average PFF grade was significantly more impressive; 70.4 to 60.9.

The highs were higher for Wicks. His 605 yards, five touchdowns, 67.2% reception percentage, 4.7% drop rate, 14.8 yards per reception, 1.94 yards per route run and 77 PFF receiving grade (29th in the NFL) as a rookie were the best marks either he or Adams managed in their first two seasons.

It is easier to put up strong average numbers in a small sample size, and Adams had more volume in terms of targets and receptions, with 26 more targets and 18 more receptions across their respective first-and-second seasons, but the ceiling Wicks showed as a rookie was pretty special.

The lows were also lower for Wicks though; his 18% drop percentage in 2024 was not only worse than Adams’ worst mark of 15.6% in his sophomore season, it was the worst drop percentage of all qualified NFL receivers last year.

Only eight players had a lower reception percentage than Wicks in 2024, and his 51.3% was far worse than Adams’ 58.7%, which was his worst mark in his first two years.

While it feels unfair to compare Wicks to one of the best receivers in the modern NFL era, there are legitimate similarities between them, not only in terms of the aesthetics of their games, but also how their first two seasons played out statistically.

The fact Wicks flashed more potential as a rookie than Adams did in either of his first two years should give Packers fans confidence he can bounce back in 2025 and start to fulfill his potential.

Adams had a breakout season in his third year, putting up almost 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Wicks could be primed to make a similar big step in 2025, but he must be more consistent to encourage Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love to keep feeding him the ball.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Dontayvion Wicks stats eerily similar to Packers legend after 2 years