The Green Bay Packers made significant moves at the Safety position this offseason. First, they opted to move on from Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens. Second, they signed the finest available Safety in free agency, Xavier McKinney.
They have already made significant improvements to the Safety position, but they are far from finished. They will most likely sign (or draft) another safety and a versatile cornerback for the secondary. As it turns out, there is one player who is rapidly gathering traction to join Green Bay.
The Green Bay Packers are heavily linked to new safety measures.
According to Freddie Boston from FanSided:
There was no doubting Jaden Hicks’ ability or potential. Everything comes down to testing.
The Washington State safety did not run at the NFL Combine, but he fared well in the other drills, which included a 37.5-inch vertical jump and 16 bench press reps. Hicks answered any leftover questions at his Pro Day. According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, he ran 4.47-4.49.
With the extra data, Hicks has an unofficial Relative Athletic Score of 9.29 out of 10. That works.
There’s a lot to like about Hicks’ game and how he could fit into Jeff Hafley’s defense. McKinney will most likely play a lot of snaps as a deep safety, whereas Hicks excels in the box.
What would the Packers get for Jaden Hicks?
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Hicks’ draft profile reveals a lot about his potential fit with the Packers’ defense:
Hicks’ testing will be critical for his draft prospects, as teams will want to see how he runs and changes direction. He is an aggressive run-and-hit striker, yet he does not receive as many squared-up, run-through tackles as one would expect. He plays in the box as an additional run defender, although he could be a stronger cover man.
Hicks is a straight-line mover who may struggle with huge bending route breaks; yet, he plays with outstanding awareness, has impressive ball skills, and can line up over pass-catching tight ends.
There are aspects of his game that might make him a feast-or-famine pick, but he has the characteristics and upside to bet on in the middle rounds.
Hicks might be an excellent complement to what Xavier McKinney will provide to the Packers defense.
There is little doubt that the Packers aren’t done upgrading to the safety corps; could Hicks receive the call?
