Dontayvion Wicks Selected By Green Bay In NFL Draft

Virginia
Dontayvion Wicks set the Virginia school record for receiving yards in a season in 2021. ~ Photo by Kris Wright/TheSabre.com

Record-setting receiver Dontayvion Wicks became the latest Virginia football player taken in the NFL Draft on Saturday. The Green Bay Packers selected Wicks in the fifth round with the 159th overall pick.

The Packers last took a UVA player in the draft in 1999 when they picked quarterback Aaron Brooks in the fourth round. After one season in Green Bay, he was subsequently traded to the Saints.

With the Wicks’ pick, Virginia has had a player selected in 38 of the last 40 drafts. Beginning in 1984, only 2017 and 2021 saw no Hoos picked. Wicks joined Joe Reed as receivers picked in the fifth round of recent drafts as Reed went to the Los Angeles Chargers with the 151st pick in 2020. Prior to that duo, the last UVA receiver picked was Marques Hagans in 2006.

Wicks said in a media press conference that he thought Green Bay could be a landing spot for him after meeting some of the coaches.

“I had a feeling it was gonna be Green Bay because I had great conversations with [receivers] Coach [Jason] Vrable and Coach [Matt] LaFleur,” Wicks said in a news release. “So great news and I’m ready to get to work.”

In Green Bay, Wicks will join the club as it undergoes a change at the quarterback position. The team traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, which will clear the way for Jordan Love to likely become the starting quarterback. Love will get a receiver that flashed big play potential at Virginia.

While at UVA, Wicks caught 12 touchdown passes. That included 6 touchdowns of 40+ yards. He also set the school record for receiving yards in a season with 1,203 in 2021. That broke the previous record of 1,190 yards held by Herman Moore, who went on to star with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. The Louisiana native finished his career with 1,694 yards and those 12 touchdowns.

After that All-ACC season in 2021, Wicks had less production in 2022. He posted 30 catches for 430 yards and 2 touchdowns in 8 games. He missed the final two games with an injury and the season was cancelled after a tragic shooting in November took the lives of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry.

The NFL recognized that trio on Thursday before the start of the draft and Wicks said it was an honor to be picked in this year’s draft.

“It means a lot,” Wicks said in a news release. “Knowing that they wanted to be in this position I’m in, so doing this for them, knowing that was their biggest goal, being able to be in this position, I thank God. I know they’re watching over me every day.”

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