Cal Football: NFL Hopeful Elijah Hicks Embracing the Biggest Week of His Life

Safety says he's healthy after suffering a foot injury during all-star game workouts.

This is not just another week in the life of former Cal safety Elijah Hicks.

“Waking up on Monday it was like, `OK, this is the week it’s going to happen,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for these moments my entire life.”

The NFL Draft runs tonight through Saturday, and I asked Hicks if he’s nervous or anxious or excited.

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“Pretty much all of those things you mentioned,” the 22-year-old Long Beach native said. “The best thing is every day I get up and continue to work. That always allows me to stay focused and sane because I’m putting the work in to be the best I can be.

“So when I do get my opportunity, which I’m fortunate enough to have, I’ll be ready and show up and do my thing.”

Elijah Hicks

Hicks was a good enough player at La Mirada High School that he had all kinds of scholarship offers to consider. He ultimately picked Cal over Notre Dame, and in five seasons at Berkeley he played 49 games, totaling 211 tackles.

A cornerback his first three seasons, Hicks moved to safety before the COVID-shortened 2020 season and at shined at the position last fall. He had 72 tackles, three interceptions and forced four fumbles, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors.

Still, figuring out the NFL Draft can be a mystery, and mock drafts suggest Hicks is anything but a sure thing to be selected.

Asked if he knows what to expect, Hicks said, “Nope.”

Even so, it’s likely he will be on an NFL training camp roster by this time next week, either as a draft pick or a free-agent signing.

Hicks will spend the weekend at Lake Tahoe with his family, awaiting the big news.

If the first two days of the draft come and go without word, does he expect to have trouble sleeping Friday night prior to Rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 on Saturday?

“I guess we’re going to have to find out and see.” he said. “I ain’t been in this situation before. Usually, I’m an even-keeled guy. So I’m going to be really excited when it happens.”

Hicks talks in the video above about rehabbing after surgery for a fracture he sustained on the first day of workouts for the East-West Shrine Game.

He skipped in-person workouts with teams but assembled a video that showed him doing defensive back drills that his agent sent to every NFL team. “Getting good feedback about that,” he said.

Hicks has remained in Berkeley, working out at Cal. “I’m training as if I was 100 percent healthy because I am,” he said. “I’m in great shape. I think I’ll come back a better football player.”

It’s also a source of confidence for Hicks that three of his former Cal defensive back mates are playing in the NFL. Their credits in 2021:

* Second-year safety Jaylinn Hawkins played 14 games, starting four, for the Atlanta Falcons and had two interceptions and 24 tackle

* Second-year safety Ashtyn Davis started 10 games for the New York Jets, totaling 62 tackles with two interceptions

* Rookie cornerback Camryn Bynum played in 14 games for the Minnesota Vikings, starting three times, and had 28 tackles and an interception

“It feels good being able to see them make plays,” Hicks said. “It just gives me confidence knowing that I know where I belong. I belong in that league and can make plays at that level.”

Hicks stressed that this weekend isn’t a finish-line moment but a beginning.

“I’ve been putting in a lot of work to get here. But I just know I have a lot bigger goals once I achieve this,” he said. “It’s not an `I’ve arrived’ feeling. It’s just, `OK, what’s the next team I’m about to help win games and be great for.”

Cover photo of former Cal safety Elijah Hicks

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo