When the Kansas City Chiefs selected former Washington State safety Jaden Hicks in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, it was a bit of a surprise that Hicks had lasted until the 133rd pick; many analysts had expected he would have been selected earlier.
Hicks acknowledges that as his NFL career gets underway, that puts a chip on his shoulder.
“The chip is always there,” he told reporters before Sunday’s session of the team’s three-day rookie minicamp, “but that definitely fueled the fire just that much more.
“I gotta make everybody pay for that.”
In the meantime, Hicks has already experienced the hands-on approach of Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
“I love his energy,” Hicks said of his new boss. “I love what he brings, so I think I will fit right in with his defense.”
During the minicamp’s opening session on Saturday, reporters had noticed Spagnuolo pulling Hicks aside for a teaching moment. The rookie appreciated the attention he received from a coordinator who will soon receive his fourth Super Bowl ring.
“He was just telling me ‘the keys,’” Hicks said of the encounter. “Where I was aligned, the quarterback can see that I was coming to the other side — so he was just telling me how to disguise that a little bit more.
“That was really cool [that] he brought me to the side. I take that type of coaching very seriously.”
Transitioning from college to the NFL will create many teachable moments for Hicks, who is willing to listen to any feedback he can get.
“The coaches told me like, ‘Line up here’ — but also you want to disguise it just so the offense can’t see what you’re doing,” the rookie recalled of Spagnuolo’s feedback, “so I take that all in.”
All of that will help Hicks become a better player. Known in college as a hard-nosed, versatile player, he wants to grow even more at the next level — which he knows will require improving his coverage skills.
“I want to be (known as) someone that can do other things — and do everything,” he explained. “So being, I guess, known as a ‘hitter’ — and stuff like that — it’s all right. But I want to be known as more than that.”
2024-05-06 15:31:41
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