With the 2025 NFL regular season in the books, four former Virginia Cavaliers have secured their spots in the postseason and will continue their pursuit of the Lombardi Trophy in the coming weeks.
Let’s check in on the pro ’Hoos getting set for some playoff football.
Olamide Zaccheaus — Wide receiver (Chicago Bears)
Under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears won the NFC North for the first time since 2018 this season, earning the No. 2 seed and the opportunity to host the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
For seventh-year
pro Olamide Zaccheaus, the 28-year-old wide receiver will be making his third-straight postseason appearance after a first-round loss with the Eagles in 2023 and a storybook run to the NFC Championship Game with the Commanders in 2024.
Zaccheaus, a savvy veteran presence in a young Bears locker room, finished sixth on the team with 313 receiving yards on the season and a pair of touchdowns, while helping guide talented young receivers Rome Odunze (a first-round pick last season) and Luther Burden III (a second-round rookie).
Though Zaccheaus has taken a bit of a backseat to Burden III down the stretch, he has more postseason experience than the rest of the Bears’ receiving room combined and had a knack for coming up clutch in the biggest moments last season with Washington. Don’t be surprised if Zaccheaus becomes an unlikely hero if Chicago makes a deep run.
Dontayvion Wicks — Wide receiver (Green Bay Packers)
Green Bay looked like a juggernaut early this season, but the Packers are limping into the playoffs. Since losing their marquee offseason addition, Micah Parsons, to a torn ACL against the Broncos in early December, the Packers have lost four straight and fallen to the seventh seed in the NFC. They’ll travel to Chicago to face their division rivals on Saturday night.
For Dontayvion Wicks, the third-year pro dealt with an overcrowded Green Bay receiving room again this season, as six Packer wideouts finished with at least 100 receiving yards (yet none with more than 724). Wicks, a 2023 fifth-round pick, saw his targets decrease this season, and he finished the year with a career-low 332 receiving yards and just two touchdowns.
A Wicks postseason breakout isn’t off the table, however. He’s already delivered a standout game on the national stage this season, hauling in six receptions for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Thanksgiving in Detroit. Plus, Wicks has four catches for 64 yards and a score in three career postseason appearances.
Though Wicks has yet to match the exciting production of his 2023 rookie campaign, at just 24 years old, he remains an exciting young prospect who has already proven that, when given the opportunity, he can be a difference-maker.
Morgan Moses – Offensive tackle (New England Patriots)
The New England Patriots won the AFC East for the first time since the Tom Brady era, securing the two-seed in the conference thanks to an MVP-caliber season from second-year signal-caller Drake Maye.
Helping keep Maye upright was 12th-year vet Morgan Moses. The 2014 third-round pick started all 17 games for the Patriots, delivering a team-high run-block grade via PFF as he churned out yet another reliable season in the trenches.
Despite his lengthy career, Moses will be suiting up for just his sixth postseason game when the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Chargers visit Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.
Juan Thornhill – Safety (Jacksonville Jaguars)
The Pittsburgh Steelers released Juan Thornhill in early November, but the Jacksonville Jaguars quickly scooped up the two-time Super Bowl Champion, providing a nice landing spot with a real shot at another ring.
Though Thornhill hasn’t seen the field much yet in Jacksonville, it wouldn’t be at all surprising for the Jaguars to utilize his immense postseason experience as they seek their first AFC Championship game appearance since 2018. The 2019 second-round pick has 18 career solo tackles and 14 assists in 10 postseason games.
Thornhill and the third-seeded Jaguars host the sixth-seeded Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon.
