Virginia receiver Dontayvion Wicks declares for 2023 NFL Draft
Virginia receiver Dontayvion Wicks will forgo a fifth season with the Cavaliers and declare for the 2023 NFL Draft, he announced Tuesday on his Instagram.
A starter for each of the past two seasons, Wicks broke the school single-season receiving record in 2021 with 1,203 receiving yards in addition to nine touchdown on 57 catches. He followed that up this season with 30 catches for 430 yards and a pair of touchdowns across eight games.
Wicks joined the team in 2019 as a four-star recruit out of Plaquemine High School in Plaquemine, Louisiana. He ranked as the No. 114 receiver and No. 802 overall prospect in the class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.
The talented receiver appeared in 10 games as a true freshman before suffering an injury in the offseason that kept him out all of the 2020 season. He bounced back for his record-setting season in 2021.
More on the 2023 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event will be held at the plaza just outside of Union Station.
Round 1 of the NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.
To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. 100 underclassmen were approved for last year’s draft. 73 of those 100 underclassmen were granted special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.
The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.