Well so far veach has pulled excellent value out of every round.
FWIW Dane Brugler, who does The Beast, one of the best prospect breakdowns out there, has Hicks as his top rated safety.
Freshman All-American
Honorable Mention All-Pac-12; 37-yard INT TD; Blocked FG
HT WT
COMBINE 6017 211
PRO DAY 6023 215
HAND
9 3/8
9 1/4
ARM
31 1/2
31 7/8
WING
76 1/4
76 3/8
40-YD 20-YD 10-YD
4.50 2.65 1.58
VJ
37 1/2
BJ
10'2"
SS 3C BP
4.37 6.88 16
STRENGTHS: Looks the part, with the frame of a small line backer and athleticism of a corner... rangy run defender and flies downhill from depth to contain outside runs or make stops at or behind the line ... mirrors well laterally when asked to play in the box ... stout, physical striker ... looks to tune up his target and dislodge the
football at contact... former high school cornerback and covers tight ends well in man coverage ... has a feel for zone coverage and understands how to balance his sightlines between the pocket and routes ... will take advantage of mistakes by the quarterback (see pick six vs. Colorado State in 2023) ... has a knack for disguising his intentions pre-snap and brings the noise as a blitzer with his top-down closing speed ... coaches put a lot on his plate and tested his versatility across multiple positions (also had a blocked field goal in 2023) .. durable and played in every game the last two seasons, including 23 consecutive starts.
WEAKNESSES: High-cut and needs to dean up his tackling form ... doesn’t always see what he tackles, and his misses are usually from dropping his eye level and
prematurely leaving his feet (also had an unnecessary roughness penalty vs. 2023 Arizona State in 2023)... anticipation and efficiency sorting through his keys should
continue to improve with experience... late to locate climbing blocks and can do a better job with his take-on hands ... ball-hawking skills lessen the further away
from the line of scrimmage ... some NFL Scouts have voiced concern about him growing out of safety... wasn't used as a regular on special-teams coverages in 2023.
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Washington State, Hicks played strong safety in defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding's 4-2-5 base and was asked to play the deep half, deep middle, in the box and over the slot. A late bloomer when he arrived in Pullman, the coaches kept putting more and more on his plate, and he developed into one of top defensive backs in the Pac-12. With his versatile skill set, Hicks has the speed to play high and the toughness to play low, filing the alley with urgency or covering big targets in space. Although his read anticipation is a work in progress, he plays confident and free, trusting his athletic instincts to help him make plays.
Overall, Hicks is a rangy, intimidating presence, both downhill and on the back end, and he offers the multi-dimensional traits to develop into an NFL starter. He
projects as a scheme-friendly safety who should also contribute immediately on special teams.
GRADE: 2nd Round (No. 39 overall)
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