Chiefs draft grades: Rating every pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
Round 4 - Pick 133 - Jaden Hicks - S - Washington State - 6'2" - 211 pounds
Value: While Kingsley Suamataia might be my favorite value pick in this class, Jaden Hicks is probably the biggest value. Hicks was #67 on the Consensus Big Board. The Chiefs got him 66 spots after that ranking. While this wasn't viewed as a great safety class, Hicks was one of the prospects in the discussion for being the best safety in the class. To get that player at the end of the 4th round is a steal.
Need: The only knock someone could make about this pick is that the Chiefs didn't have much of a need at safety with Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, and Chamarri Conner on the roster. However, Justin Reid is entering the final year of his contract with the Chiefs. So not only does Hicks provide them with special teams value and depth in case of an injury, but he could be in line to take over a starting job in 2025 so that the Chiefs can save some cap space by not having to re-sign Reid (who will be 28 next offseason).
Fit with the Chiefs: I just mentioned that Hicks could be a potential replacement for Justin Reid. That's not just because Reid's contract will be up next offseason. Hicks's physical style and versatility actually resemble Reid in a lot of ways. Hicks looks like a player that will be a perfect fit for Steve Spagnuolo's defense as he can be deployed all over the field.
Athletic Profile: Hicks had a very good 8.97/10 RAS. His 4.5 forty time puts him in the 84th percentile for safeties and his 3-come time was in the 83rd percentile as well. What makes that more impressive is that he did that at a muscular 6'2" and 211 pounds. Hicks almost looks like he could play linebacker (and he does come up and play physically in the box at times), but he still has the speed and athleticism to move around the field as a true defensive back.
Age: Hicks is another 21-year-old prospect. He will turn 22 right before the season starts, but he's young enough that a second contract would still include his athletic prime and that's huge.
FIlm: I'll admit, I didn't have time to watch the safeties before the draft this year, so it was fun to get to sit down and watch Hicks for the first time after the pick. He tackles well and is a physical player, but can also cover tight ends or running backs out of the slot. He's a good blitzer and you also see him communicating with the linebackers and other defensive backs before the snap on a regular basis. He's just a really solid all-around player with no major holes in his game.
What Do the Numbers and Experts Say?: Pro Football Focus gave him a 84.9 coverage grade last season, which is a really good score for any safety, let alone one Hicks' size with his tackling ability. The PFF Draft Guide scored him between a 7/10 and a 9/10 in all ten of the categories that they grade safeties on. His 9/10 areas were in anticipation and versatility. There just isn't much to complain about here.
Draft Grade: A+
If you wanted to knock this pick down to an "A" or "A-" because you don't think safety was a big need and wanted the Chiefs to draft a position of higher need, you could, but it's just hard not to call Hicks a slam dunk pick at the end of the 4th round. I think Brett Veach nailed this one and I'm not the only one.