Ronnie Hickman Jr. NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Cleveland Browns' UDFA S

HEIGHT: 6'0 1/2''

WEIGHT: 203

HAND: 9 3/8''

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 78"

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40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: N/A

BROAD: N/A

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POSITIVES

— Downhill player with good closing speed in the run game.

— Shows to have good sideline-to-sideline speed in the run and good cover ability.

—Fluid, quick backpedal in coverage with good top-end speed.

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NEGATIVES

— Below-average ball skills and awareness in coverage. Does not consistently play the ball and puts himself in poor positions. Can take bad angles at times.

— Below-average start-stop ability; not explosive changing direction in coverage.

— Not a great tackler in open space

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2022 STATISTICS

—13 games, 53 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 FF, 8 PBU, 1 INT

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NOTES

DOB: 10/11/2001

Career starts: 26

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OVERALL

Ronnie Hickman Jr. was a two-year starter at safety at Ohio State. He played the free safety role, adding support in deep coverage. Hickman brings above-average positional size and speed and showed versatility in the OSU system. He had 53 total tackles, eight passes defended and one interception in 2022 along with College Football Playoff experience.

In the passing game, Hickman shows above-average speed that translates into deep-coverage ability and range. In coverage, he shows fluid movements and a quick backpedal but can struggle to change direction. Concerns include his body positioning in coverage, ability to play man-to-man and inability to consistently make a play on the ball. Hickman does not show explosive change-of-direction, leading to losing positioning to make turnover-worthy plays. He often takes bad angles in man-to-man coverage that his speed cannot make up for.

Hickman shows good straight-line speed and can be explosive downhill in run support or in the blitz. He is an active and willing tackler, hitting with speed. His ability to tackle in open space is average and shows limited athletic ability in terms of changing direction to meet the ball-carrier.

Hickman is a quality backup at the free safety position in the NFL. He brings above-average overall speed, movements and range but lacks the agility or quickness in short-area scenarios to be a starting NFL safety. Hickman is best fit in zone schemes and lacks the ability to produce in man situations or cover TEs.

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GRADE: 6.2 (High-Level Developmental Prospect/Round 5)

OVERALL RANK: 174

POSITION RANK: S14

PRO COMPARISON: Darrick Forrest

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings