HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 211

HAND: 9⅜"

ARM: 31½"

WINGSPAN: 76¼"

40-YARD DASH: 4.50

3-CONE: 6.88

SHUTTLE: 4.37

VERTICAL: 37.5"

BROAD: 10'2"

POSITIVES

— Very good athlete with good body control and excellent size. Shows great physicality and strength.

— Shows the instincts and vision to read and react to the quarterback. Also shows the ball skills necessary to get a good break and react to the ball in the air.

— Physical player who throws his body around and delivers hard, bone-crushing hits.

NEGATIVES

— Plays with high pad level in his backpedal. Struggles to close ground at times with slower change of direction and trouble transitioning.

— Below-average open-field tackling at times. His lack of short-area quickness can show up when tackling shiftier players.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 79 TOT, 6 TFL, 2.5 SK, 2 INT, 4 PD, 1 FF

NOTES

— Born Aug. 16, 2002

— 23 career starts

— 3-star recruit in the 2021 class, per 247Sports

— Named to 2002 Freshman All-America third team by College Football News

OVERALL

Jaden Hicks was a versatile defender who aligned at all three levels for the Washington State secondary. A physical defender, Hicks has the size to play the run from the box and the athletic profile to play in coverage.

When playing the run, Hicks is a great box defender. He's physical and can make quick reads, shooting gaps and beating linemen to the spot. He often looks to deliver big hits, especially to unsuspecting receivers or ball-carriers.

When in tight space, Hicks often throws his shoulder for tackles, but he does a good job of wrapping up for secure tackles. One of his biggest negatives is his tackling in open space. Hicks lacks the change-of-direction and short-area quickness to tackle shifter athletes.

As a defender in coverage, Hicks is a very good athlete who's able to roll down and follow tight ends in man coverage. He can also drop in underneath zone coverage, though his lack of change-of-direction agility can show up at times. Still, he's a instinctive defender who has the ball skills to locate and play the ball downfield.

Hicks is one of the top safeties in this year's draft. A large safety with great physicality, he is not only a run defender, but he has the athletic ability to play in zone and man coverage. He may be best served when put in a box safety role, where his athleticism is on display in a smaller area. Hicks has the size to make an instinct impact on special teams, but he will have to work to be a rookie starter.

GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 114

POSITION RANK: S9

PRO COMPARISON: Harrison Smith

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

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