Chiefs Select WSU Safety Jaden Hicks with No. 133 Overall Pick

With their second of two fourth-round picks, Kansas City adds more depth to the secondary with a high-profile player.

Nov 5, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Washington State Cougars defensive back Jaden Hicks (25) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Day Three of the 2024 NFL Draft is underway, and the Kansas City Chiefs have already been hard at work. After selecting TCU tight end Jared Wiley with the 131st overall pick, general manager Brett Veach and his staff were right back on the clock at No. 133.

With that pick, Kansas City is adding Washington State safety Jaden Hicks into the fold.

Hicks, a three-year college player, logged 155 total tackles (eight for loss) with 3.5 sacks and three interceptions. This past season, he played in 12 games and had 79 tackles (six for loss) with 2.5 sacks, a pair of interceptions and four passes broken up. He also stood out during the pre-draft process, posting an 8.97 Relative Athletic score with good composite grades for speed, agility and explosion. At just under 6-foot-2 and weighing 211 pounds, he has great size.

What does Jaden Hicks bring to the Chiefs?

To be frank, it's a surprise that Hicks was still available at this spot. The former Washington State standout did a little bit of everything for the Cougars, lining up in the slot, in the box and deep in the formation. He's an aggressive player who comes crashing downhill and can even blitz as needed. Ironically, Hicks is at his best when not asked to cover a deep half or work as a single-high safety. It isn't a glaring weakness, but rather just not a huge strength.

Hicks joins a draft class that is shaping up to be a good one. Xavier Worthy and Kingsley Suamataia set the tone on Thursday and Friday, and Saturday kicked off with a nice selection in Wiley. Hicks will serve as tremendous depth out of the gate and could complete the Chiefs' secondary picture on the back end. Working with veterans like Justin Reid, Deon Bush and Bryan Cook will help early in his career.

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