MiniCamp News 2025

[gopkrs]

On the other hand you have Moore and I'm sure a lot more. Catching the ball is pretty fundamental and dropping balls really hurts. I don't consider anyone else on the team to drop the ball too much. Reed dropped a couple and he needs to do better. Wicks was way too much. But I'm betting on him

 

[Heyjoe4]

Speaking of Wicks, he reminds me a great deal of young Davante. They are similar size. Davante is just shy of 6’1 and Wicks is just over 6’1”.
Davante was like 212lb and Wicks around 206lb.

Both are above average in explosive traits and lateral movement, but both tested below average in pure speed.

Wicks actually has big 10” Mits so you wouldn’t think he’d have dropsies.

Davante just tore it up in college though averaging 1,500 yards across both freshman and sophomore seasons. However he was at the FCS Division1 level.

Wicks had a 1,200 yard season in his sophomore campaign but at the higher ACC FBS level. In his Junior year (2nd season as a starter) he would’ve likely had over 1,000+ but was marred with an injury and then a shooting on their team bus that left 3 dead. The Cavaliers cancelled the last couple of games in 2022, it was a very violent and unstable finish to a good college career.
I really like Wicks I think he deserves 1 more year to get past this stuff. If he can toss up 1200 yards in his first year as a starter in college in Power 5 football? he’s an animal once he gets clicking. He’s very craft with the ball in his hands he’s able to find space and work it. That shows in his 21 yards per catch number across his only full, 2021 season.

IMO Dontayvion declared 1 year too soon. He really could’ve benefited from another season similar to what Davante had at Fresno State. Although I can understand his circumstances and I certainly don’t fault him for wanting a fresh start or to get paid. IMO Wicks floor is WR4 if he just fixes the concentration drops. Sky is the limit, but it would not shock me if he eventually became perimeter WR2 behind Golden.

That's a good comparison. In his first two years, Adams was known more for his drops and arguments with refs than making plays. That certainly changed.......

It is worthwhile to keep Wicks another year. If (when) he learns how to secure/catch the ball, he'll have to be accounted for. It may not work out, but drops are certainly fixable with coaching and practice. The challenge for Wicks this year will be getting targets. He needs a fast start, starting with TC and PS games.

 

[tynimiller]

Wicks is literally our best creator of separation in history outside of Davante. His maturation must be given his entire rookie contract to see where we are more likely to end up…

It would be insanely misguided and IMO ignorant to cut your best separation creator purely due to route running abilities…he’s special in that sense and I at a minimum always want a guy like that on my roster if they’re on a rookie deal.

 

[tynimiller]

That's a good comparison. In his first two years, Adams was known more for his drops and arguments with refs than making plays. That certainly changed.......

It is worthwhile to keep Wicks another year. If (when) he learns how to secure/catch the ball, he'll have to be accounted for. It may not work out, but drops are certainly fixable with coaching and practice. The challenge for Wicks this year will be getting targets. He needs a fast start, starting with TC and PS games.

Wicks led the team last year in targets. At worst he’ll get as many chances likely as any in targets.

 

[gopkrs]

Wicks led the team last year in targets. At worst he’ll get as many chances likely as any in targets.

Mostly I agree with you. And I disagree with those saying Gute is playing for next year. So if we are to have a chance; we can't keep throwing to a guy who drops a lot of balls. If he doesn't get it together; he should not get all those opportunities imho. I think it's probably a matter of not concentrating completely on the ball until it's in his possession. He probably realizes this and will take that other half second to do it. It takes mental discipline and sometimes fearlessness.

 

[OldSchool101]

Wicks led the team last year in targets. At worst he’ll get as many chances likely as any in targets.

Interesting I didn’t realize that.

the potential is there, but as with anything that needs to be converted into production. His yards per target (7.1) yards after catch (3.1) both dropped last season. This greatly affected his overall per reception number (10.6). While that’s not despicable, it’s very low to expectation. One of Wicks strongest features across his career is a high reception number.

This isn’t to beat up on Wicks. In fact, there were some things that I believe affected his individual performance that were out if his control. I do think there’s a 80-90% chance he has a bounce back campaign in 2025. With Watson likely out early on or on a snap count and Savion likely being phased in slowly, Wicks will get his chance to shine.

 

[OldSchool101]

Sorry I know this isn’t direct link mini camp news but we’re in sort of a break from football right now. So I request an allowance to go off in a derivative.

GB is one of several playoff caliber teams that imo look poised to bounce back in the Receiving sector. I’ll put Denver in that class also. Both teams were near bottom 10 in many PFF grades as a unit. #21,#22 PFF group graded in 2024. Denver is poised with Sutton and Mims Jr and now added a formidable TE in Evan Engram.

1. Our QB is coming in healthy.

2. Watson is out Running near full speed on the field, which is pure incredible watching him. He doesn’t even look injured. That’s just impressive and speaks to his rehab effort all around.

3. Mathew Golden has a high floor. Regardless if he was worth a #23 or not he’s got exceptional ability. Now he has to show it. Golden IS one of the safer WR selections in this draft class imo. A WR1? I don’t know. But much will be determined by staff and how he is implemented. Also how quickly he acclimates.

4. Wicks had what I’d call a semi poor season (to potential). He’s due for a production spike and he’s not alone.

5. The addition of Savion. He’s too athletic not to test regularly. He offers a Role more equal to our former Ty Montgomery. A Unique skillset. Get him that ball in space (theme in 2025) and he’ll punish teams. He’s not easy to Tackle, especially once past the DL. We’ve got basically a smaller TE and close to Lazard sized, but with high 4.4’s speed and explosive potential as far as a run after threat.

6. Mecole Hardman. He’s proving that he’s still got 2nd Round juice and much of what held him back was injury and not recognizing his strengths. He doesn’t need to be a feature WR. He’s there to hold down a Teams role and he offers big play ability anytime he’s out there. We just can’t have Nixon fielding punts if he’s our starting CB. Harman is Randall Cobb 2.0 in PR but with breakaway speed if he finds a hole.

7. This WR group as a whole (including pseudo WR/TE Musgrave) is about to pop. There’s too much talent in too many areas not to see 1 or 2 or even 3 players just pop off expectations chart.

 

[OldSchool101]

I cannot remember the last time we had a superior class of athletes with a high graded YAC threat potential or Tackle breaking abilities.

Willis, Lloyd, Savion, Kraft, Golden, Wicks, Watson, Jacobs and yes Hardman if he makes the Roster.

Anytime these players are on the field they have Big Play potential in both Run or Catch. We’re literally plugging in a Day1 selection (Golden) and FOUR Day 2 selections that either barely played or did not play at all in 2024. Enters on Offense:
Golden
Musgrave
Lloyd
Savion
Hardman (potentially)

 

[Voyageur]

That's a good comparison. In his first two years, Adams was known more for his drops and arguments with refs than making plays. That certainly changed.......

It is worthwhile to keep Wicks another year. If (when) he learns how to secure/catch the ball, he'll have to be accounted for. It may not work out, but drops are certainly fixable with coaching and practice. The challenge for Wicks this year will be getting targets. He needs a fast start, starting with TC and PS games.

I believe Wicks is the most underrated receiver on the team. At the same time, I think that Love was too much in love with him and threw a lot of balls in his direction that should have gone elsewhere. No matter how much talent you have, it's prudent to throw to someone who is open instead of into traffic.

Here's a rundown of who the intended targets were on Love's INTs this past season.

Based on the information gathered, here are the receivers targeted by Jordan Love on his interceptions during the 2024-2025 NFL season:

• Christian Watson: Targeted on at least two interceptions. One occurred when Love was under pressure and sailed the ball over him against the Texans.
• Bo Melton: Targeted on an interception where he slipped on a rain-soaked field against the Cardinals, leading to the interception.
• Jayden Reed: Targeted on one interception.
• Luke Musgrave: Targeted on the first interception of the season in Week 1. He may have kept his route "skinny" on the play.
• Dontayvion Wicks: Targeted on an interception against the Texans where Love forced a throw. He was also the intended target on another interception where the ball was underthrown.
• Romeo Doubs: Targeted on an interception against the Vikings.

This pretty much covers the scope of where the throws went.

 

[tynimiller]

Mostly I agree with you. And I disagree with those saying Gute is playing for next year. So if we are to have a chance; we can't keep throwing to a guy who drops a lot of balls. If he doesn't get it together; he should not get all those opportunities imho. I think it's probably a matter of not concentrating completely on the ball until it's in his possession. He probably realizes this and will take that other half second to do it. It takes mental discipline and sometimes fearlessness.

We then also need to look away from Reed as well. He was terrible as well with drops last season.

 

[gopkrs]

We then also need to look away from Reed as well. He was terrible as well with drops last season.

I did mention Reed in another post. He needs to clean it up for sure. But he was not nearly as bad with drops as Wicks was imho. No excuses for dropping balls!

 

[tynimiller]

I did mention Reed in another post. He needs to clean it up for sure. But he was not nearly as bad with drops as Wicks was imho. No excuses for dropping balls!

Limited drops happen and many of even the best have them. Both need to get cleaner for sure.

 

[Voyageur]

Packers dropped passes this past season.

Here's a breakdown of the drops by receiver:

• Jayden Reed: 10 drops
• Dontayvion Wicks: 8 drops
• Romeo Doubs: 5 drops
• Christian Watson: 2 drops
• Malik Heath: 0 drops
• Bo Melton: 0 drops

 

[Sanguine camper]

I try to caution people about getting way too enamored with a receiver not being good because of dropped passes. I hear that about several of the Packer receivers. The same was true of Davante Adams his first couple of years. People are putting way too much stock in that figure when it's early in a career. I point out Romeo Doubs as an example. He makes some of the most amazing catches, but people decide to focus on the drops. That's not good football sense but it happens because there are those that don't realize the learning curve coming into the NFL.

I'm glad the Packers didn't dump Adams at the end of two years. I say the same now with Doubs, and other Packer receivers who have had a few drops the last two seasons.

This is an older reddit post, so understand how far he went even after the article.

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Both Jordy and James Jones also had drop issues early in their career. Both of those guys really turned out to be worth the wait. As I've mentioned in other posts, somebody like Wicks who can get open in a phone booth deserves another shot. If he can't turn it around in year 3, then perhaps he can be relegated to a WR #5 or shown the door.

Jordy dropped a ton of passes in the Super Bowl at the end if his second year. I don't think any Packer fan would disagree it was good to have had some patience with him.

 

[Voyageur]

Both Jordy and James Jones also had drop issues early in their career. Both of those guys really turned out to be worth the wait. As I've mentioned in other posts, somebody like Wicks who can get open in a phone booth deserves another shot. If he can't turn it around in year 3, then perhaps he can be relegated to a WR #5 or shown the door.

Jordy dropped a ton of passes in the Super Bowl at the end if his second year. I don't think any Packer fan would disagree it was good to have had some patience with him.

I've always felt that year 3 is the point where WRs either start showing they've got it to be one of the better players on the field or they're going nowhere. It's a learning curve no different than a curve that the QBs have. Like you said, both Jordy and James had their drops early. Everyone throwing these guys under the bus for it are totally wrong.

One of the points is that the more they try to get the ball to you, the more opportunities you have to make catches or drop them, depending on circumstances. You just can't let two years make the decision for you on receivers.

 

[gopkrs]

Packers dropped passes this past season.

Here's a breakdown of the drops by receiver:

• Jayden Reed: 10 drops
• Dontayvion Wicks: 8 drops
• Romeo Doubs: 5 drops
• Christian Watson: 2 drops
• Malik Heath: 0 drops
• Bo Melton: 0 drops

I would have to see each one to actually pass judgement. I don't like to really rely just on those types of stats. I've just gone on remembering the games. Those two were the worst I thought. I'm sure the coaches go over them on tape... I hope.

 

[DoURant]

Packers dropped passes this past season.

Here's a breakdown of the drops by receiver:

• Jayden Reed: 10 drops
• Dontayvion Wicks: 8 drops
• Romeo Doubs: 5 drops
• Christian Watson: 2 drops
• Malik Heath: 0 drops
• Bo Melton: 0 drops

One thing, well two I guess, that I would like to add. Wicks showed improvement later in the year.

(1) The last 8 games he only had 2 drops, compared to 6 in the first 9 games.

(2) In those last 8 weeks he caught 23 of 33 targets vs. 16 of 43 in the first 9 games.

That's what we want to see, improvement. I see Wicks as my breakout/ most improved Offensive player on the roster in 2025. On Defense my guy is Carrington Valentine

 

[Thirteen Below]

One thing I found in our conversation was that the guy really knew football inside and out. He was as much a student of the game as he was player. Very likeable. I never got a chance to meet him again. I wish I had.

I met Willie in 63, when I got his autograph. He wanted to talk to me about how I was doing in school, what my favorite classes were. I didn't realize that he was actually a teacher! He told me to study especially hard in the classes that I loved, even though they were easier for me, because there was a good chance that when I grew up, that would be what I did for a living. Some of the best advice I ever got as a 2nd-grader.

I try to caution people about getting way too enamored with a receiver not being good because of dropped passes. I hear that about several of the Packer receivers. The same was true of Davante Adams his first couple of years. People are putting way too much stock in that figure when it's early in a career.

I've been banging that same drum every time it comes up for a couple of years, and Tyni does too. Davante didn't become Davante until Year 3, Donald Driver was so bad his first 3 seasons that we only kept him because he was valuable on special teams, and James Jones was nicknamed "Alligator Arms" his first 4 years. It often takes a few years for a WR to learn how the game is played at the NFL level.

I point out Romeo Doubs as an example. He makes some of the most amazing catches, but people decide to focus on the drops.

According the Sports Illustrated, out of 104 WRs in 2024, Doubs had the 11th best contested catch rate. That's pretty good, one of those hidden statstics that I'm sure Gutekunst keeps track of but most fans are not aware of.

 

[OldSchool101]

I read somewhere that slips my memory that The Packers WR room had the 4th most dropped passes leaguewide in 2024.

Now there’s a couple ways to take that information. The very first way I perceive this is it takes a WR village to rank #4 for most dropped passes. So it’s not just Wicks. Reed had a higher dropped pass rate per Pro Football reference than Wicks but just slightly. Reed’s 12.0% dropped vs 11.8% for Wicks. That surprised me.

The other aspect of that bad ranking is there’s much room for improvement. We were the youngest team in the NFL over the 2023-2024 seasons. Often “young” is associated with mistakes. Also the 2024 season is in our past and a full year across a group of 4 WR’s going into 3rd/4th seasons is a substantial help.

The 2024 Draft class average drop rate in College was 5.9%. Marvin Harrison was at 8.3% as an example. MVS coming in was like 14% drop rate.
Golden was 9.4% career drop rate but finished his Junior year at 4.8% (4 off 84 targets). Howe ever also have to overlap he has a higher 60% contested success catch rate. The highest graded contested catch Win rate in all of Collegiate football was 72.7% by… Savion Williams.

 

[Voyageur]

I read somewhere that slips my memory that The Packers WR room had the 4th most dropped passes leaguewide in 2024.

Now there’s a couple ways to take that information. The very first way I perceive this is it takes a WR village to rank #4 for most dropped passes. So it’s not just Wicks. Reed had a higher dropped pass rate per Pro Football reference than Wicks but just slightly. Reed’s 12.0% dropped vs 11.8% for Wicks. That surprised me.

The other aspect of that bad ranking is there’s much room for improvement. We were the youngest team in the NFL over the 2023-2024 seasons. Often “young” is associated with mistakes. Also the 2024 season is in our past and a full year across a group of 4 WR’s going into 3rd/4th seasons is a substantial help.

The 2024 Draft class average drop rate in College was 5.9%. Marvin Harrison was at 8.3% as an example. MVS coming in was like 14% drop rate.
Golden was 9.4% career drop rate but finished his Junior year at 4.8% (4 off 84 targets). Howe ever also have to overlap he has a higher 60% contested success catch rate. The highest graded contested catch Win rate in all of Collegiate football was 72.7% by… Savion Williams.

Take the number of dropped passes into consideration but then realize the inexperience of the receivers and the QB. These weren't seasoned veterans. This year they should be hitting their stride in most cases.

 

[Voyageur]

I met Willie in 63, when I got his autograph. He wanted to talk to me about how I was doing in school, what my favorite classes were. I didn't realize that he was actually a teacher! He told me to study especially hard in the classes that I loved, even though they were easier for me, because there was a good chance that when I grew up, that would be what I did for a living. Some of the best advice I ever got as a 2nd-grader.



I've been banging that same drum every time it comes up for a couple of years, and Tyni does too. Davante didn't become Davante until Year 3, Donald Driver was so bad his first 3 seasons that we only kept him because he was valuable on special teams, and James Jones was nicknamed "Alligator Arms" his first 4 years. It often takes a few years for a WR to learn how the game is played at the NFL level.



According the Sports Illustrated, out of 104 WRs in 2024, Doubs had the 11th best contested catch rate. That's pretty good, one of those hidden statstics that I'm sure Gutekunst keeps track of but most fans are not aware of.

Willie was an intelligent man. Our conversation ranged into a lot of areas. I see you know exactly what I saw in him when we met.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Wicks led the team last year in targets. At worst he’ll get as many chances likely as any in targets.

Wow now that is a surprising stat. I would have guessed Reed or Doubs. And Golden and Williams are new, so it will take time for Love to get into a rhythm with those guys, meaning that Wicks will still get his share of targets.

Well I hope Wicks can improve his catch %. IMO he is a good route runner, good at getting separation - he just needs to catch the ball more often. The offense can have a terrific year if he improves.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Take the number of dropped passes into consideration but then realize the inexperience of the receivers and the QB. These weren't seasoned veterans. This year they should be hitting their stride in most cases.

I think and hope you're right V. Ty pointed out that Wicks led in targets last year. If/when he solves his drop problem, he'll be a handful. And that's true for guys like Reed and Doubs - they are currently better receivers than Wicks, but they can certainly improve their respective games.

The offense has improved during the offseason. At the center of things, as always, is the QB. Love needs to put together an entire season of solid play.

 

[Heyjoe4]

One thing, well two I guess, that I would like to add. Wicks showed improvement later in the year.

(1) The last 8 games he only had 2 drops, compared to 6 in the first 9 games.

(2) In those last 8 weeks he caught 23 of 33 targets vs. 16 of 43 in the first 9 games.

That's what we want to see, improvement. I see Wicks as my breakout/ most improved Offensive player on the roster in 2025. On Defense my guy is Carrington Valentine

I like these choices. And thanks for the first/second half stats on Wicks. I like Valentine as well. I think his role is more clear this year - starting CB. So his success is largely up to him. He's young and he certainly had a chance to learn a thing or two from JA.

 

[Voyageur]

I believe the Matt Golden and Savion Williams picks in round one and three had more to do with the future than the 2025 season. As rookies, both will see somewhat limited time, but will act as a solid backup if needed. Why do I see it as building for the future? Because both Watson and Doubs become free agents after this season. It's planning to fill both those roles if they can't keep them on the team. It's a backstop plan to ensure that the offense doesn't make a left turn and destroy all that's being built with the defense to make them a contender for the Super Bowl.

The offensive line appears to be well stocked, and at this point TE is a strong point on the team. So, it puts the onus on defense to step it up a notch or two to be one of the elite teams during the upcoming season, and beyond. What's surprising is that the Packers even have what appears to be a solid backup QB, giving them possibly one of the most well stocked teams in all phases of offense in the entire NFL.

On defense, Jeff Hafely appears to be what the doctor ordered to solve a lot of the problems they've had. He seems to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each individual player at his disposal, and his defense although specific in nature, offers flexibility to ensure that the right player is covering the receivers in routes between the hash marks, where we've been burned consistently for years.

His players are still learning the system, but quite frankly, they are doing better and should be taking a step up this year. My biggest concern? Pass rush. If you can't put intense pressure on the QB on passing downs, there's no way on earth defensive backs can cover multiple receivers out on routes long enough to stop passes from being completed. My lowest level of confidence against any part of the defense is their ability to apply that pressure. But I still believe it's there and just has to be unleashed.

Gary could be solid as an edge rusher this year, but let's hope Engabare has the skills because they're questioning Van Ness's ability to play the position, by working him out inside. It might end up as a solid move, but the depth on the edge is very weak. I don't see Sorrell, Cox, or Oliver suddenly turning into bulls. Fair backup material at best.

One more year. I believe we're going to see the Packers contend this year, but next year is going to be the year that the Packers need to win the whole thing, or I believe Policy will be looking for potential replacements at GM and HC. That's not saying we don't have good ones, but being a bridesmaid for so long isn't considered good enough in the NFL, if you have a franchise with a pedigree.