2023 NFL Draft: What Would Dontayvion Wicks Bring to the Jaguars' Offense?

Just one of two wide receivers the Jaguars have brought in for a top-30 visit, what would Virginia's Dontayvion Wicks bring to Jacksonville's offense?

Author:
John Shipley
Publish date:
Apr 19, 2023 8:53 AM EDT

The 2023 NFL Draft season is upon us.

Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold nine picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 24 overall pick.

As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.

Next up: Virginia wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks.

Overview

Ranked by 247Sports as a three-star recruit in the 2019 class, Wicks was ranked the No. 88 wide receiver and the No. 24 recruit in Louisiana. Wicks received offers from New Mexico and Louisiana and five other programs before eventually committing to Virginia.

Wicks appeared in 10 games as a true freshman, catching three passes for 61 yards with one touchdown pass.

Wicks missed the entire 2020 season due to a Lisfranc injury in his right foot, but returned in 2021 to start 11 games and lead the team in receiving with 57 catches for 1,203 yards (21.1 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns, earning First Team All-ACC honors.

Missing two games in 2022 because of a bone bruise, Wicks started eight games and caught 30 passes for 430 yards (14.3 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.

Wicks finished his college career with 30 games played and 19 starters, catching 90 passes for 1,694 yards (18.8 yards per catch) and 12 touchdown catches.

What Dontayvion Wicks Does Well

A high school basketball player, Wicks shows off his ability to win the fight for the ball in the air with consistency. He is one of the best true high-pointers in the draft class, showing the ability to use his length to bring in passes outside of his frame, as well as the coordination and balance to make highlight-reel catches. If you want a ball-winner who can line up on the perimeter and make toe-tapping catches and win at the catch point for explosive plays, Wicks is an interesting option.

Wicks has the speed and quickness to win downfield in terms of vertical separation as well. He wins at the line with an explosive first step and eats up cushions quickly, showing off the build-up speed to threaten defenses over the top. He can beat press or off coverage and can be an explosive vertical option for a passing game.

Wicks also wins after the catch, showing good vision, instincts as a ball-carrier and the stop-and-start quickness to pick up chunk gains with the ball in his hands. He has better overall agility than you would expect from an X-receiver with his frame, forcing missed tackles at a consistent rate.

How Dontayvion Wicks Would Fit With the Jaguars

The Jaguars already have their starting wide receivers and pass-catchers for the 2023 season: Ridley, Kirk, Jones, and Engram will take the volume of the targets in the passing game. Jamal Agnew will get his touches, too. This leaves the No. 5 and No. 6 wide receiver spot for a rookie to potentially take a crack at, which means any receiver the Jaguars take is unlikely to make an impact unless there are injuries.

This would fit with Wicks' developmental path. While supremely talented in terms of physical traits, Wicks is still just 21 and is younger than most of the other X-receiver candidates in this class. He missed some time with injuries in college and had a down year in 2022 so some refinement is needed, but he would ultimately get that developmental time in Jacksonville.

Overall, Wicks' size, speed and ball skills are traits that are not found in every wide receiver, especially in this draft class. For a wide receiver room that is mostly built around smaller and quicker wide receiver types, adding a big-bodied burner like Wicks would make sense to fill it out.

Verdict

It is hard to expect the Jaguars to take a wide receiver early. They already have a full receiver room in spots one through four with Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, and Jamal Agnew, while Tim Jones is well-liked by the coaching staff. Then there is Evan Engram who acts as a starting pass-catcher, and the Jaguars already have a lot of mouths to feed in the passing game.

That said, Dontayvion Wicks is the kind of high-upside talent worth taking a swing on in round three or four. The Jaguars have more pressing needs, but landing a receiver with Wicks' traits to develop for the next few years could greatly help the wide receiver room's future.

For all of our 2023 NFL Draft profiles, click below.