We talk about Dontayvion Wicks the wrong way

Dontayvion Wicks had a dreadful first half of 2024 that came to define his narrative. But after nearly everyone forgot about him, the Packers' young wideout rebounded.

The calendar had only just turned to November, but already a narrative had formed around Dontayvion Wicks. The Green Bay Packers' second-year wide receiver, an offseason darling expected to take on a larger role in 2024, had figuratively and literally let a golden opportunity fall through his hands.

Between the Packers' season opener and their Week 10 bye, Wicks couldn't have performed much worse. He caught just 16 of his 43 targets, giving him a dreadful 37.2% catch rate. And while a few of those misses resulted from poorly placed passes, Wicks owns the blame for the majority of the failed connections. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he posted a -23.2% catch rate over expectation during that span, easily the worst mark of any regularly used Green Bay pass catcher.

The main culprit for those mistakes won't come as a surprise. Wicks led the Packers in both drops (eight) and drop rate (18.6%) over the first nine games, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. No other Green Bay wideout had more than five and 11.1%, respectively. Beyond letting the ball go through his hands, Wicks often didn't do enough to fight for the football. That contributed to Jordan Love throwing two picks when targeting Wicks, tied for the most on the team despite ranking fourth in routes run.

All of which underscores an undeniable truth: Wicks hurt the offense much more than he helped it during that stretch.

But while the first half of Wicks' season colored the way most think of him now, that only represents part of the story. After nearly everyone forgot about him, Wicks kept working.