Ronnie Hickman Is Just Getting Started
Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry is, in theory, one of the lucky ones. In a league where teams are constantly and desperately on the hunt for a franchise quarterback, Berry has found his in Deshaun Watson. But with great quarterback fortune comes great quarterback cost.
Watson’s five-year, $230 million contract changed the way the Browns have to build their roster to compete for the future. Money once reserved for depth is no longer available, and Berry’s ability to find diamonds in the rough could be the difference between middling out and winning a title.
Knowing this, the front-office leader has made a conscious effort to prioritize undrafted free agents over the past two years. Once again this preseason that prioritization paid off. Last Tuesday when the team announced their official 53-man roster it included two UDFAs, Mohamoud Diabate and Ronnie Hickman. Although both are viable roster assets, it’s Hickman whose standout preseason and gladiator mentality has Browns Nation abuzz.
When asked by the media if he was relieved to have made the official 53-man roster, Hickman made his approach very clear. “Nah man, the rent’s due every day, for real.”
It’s a simple answer but one that provides insight into the mindset of a young player who has his sights set a lot higher than a roster spot. After totaling 157 tackles, three interceptions, a touchdown, seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a sack at Ohio State, Hickman led the NFL in interceptions during the preseason while making splash plays all over the field.
Ronnie Hickman already has 3 INTs this Preseason and somehow went undrafted🤯
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 18, 2023
But if there’s all this hype, why did rookie safety go undrafted? The answer might be that Ronnie Hickman just had some bad timing. He picked a bad year to have a downturn. The safety lept off the game tape in 2021, showing moments of brilliance with Ohio State. Most college analysts expected Hickman to absolutely run the field from the rover position in his final year in 2022, but it just didn’t happen. His senior campaign was a severe letdown despite team success. Draft opinions plummeted.
But now, having seen him succeed at such a high level in camp and in the preseason, there’s a case to be made that 2022 is the anomaly and 2021 and this year’s camp are more indicative of who Hickman truly is. He’s always around the ball, always communicating, and he plays with a combination of speed and smarts that keeps guys in the NFL for a long time. Simply put, he just looks like a good football player when you watch him.
Whatever the reason for Hickman’s fall, the youngster is carrying a chip on his shoulder requisite of 32 teams passing on him for seven consecutive rounds.
“I still remember draft day and not getting that call,” Hickman told the assembled media. “Just kind of using those emotions to drive me and help me get to the point I’m at now.”
The Browns have Grant Delpit, Juan Thornhill, Rodney McLeod, and D’Anthony Bell rostered at the safety position but after proving that he could thrive in the single high safety role Cleveland would absolutely be comfortable allowing Hickman to see the field early in his rookie year if necessary. And once he gets on the field, something tells me it will be hard to get him off. Maybe the most apparent aspect of Hickman’s accent was that the moment never felt too big for him. Even after a strong performance in preseason Week 1, most experts had him as a very long shot to make the roster. All while knowing he absolutely had to make big plays at every opportunity, he showed up and did it. There’s something to be said for that unmeasurable ability to shine when the pressure is on.
Every offseason, draft gurus like Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay spend countless hours convincing NFL fans who should be at the top of their board and why. It’s all good entertainment and certainly helps fill the football void in of early spring, but the truth is that scouting football players is an inexact science. Success in the NFL is a weird combination of ability, motivation, and the right situation. We’ve seen super-talented first-rounders famously flame out and at the same time watched guys like Kurt Warner and John Randle walk off the street and become Hall of Famers.
No one is predicting Ronnie Hickman will wind up in Canton, but he certainly has the tools for success. He’s a talented individual, he has mentality and motivation on lockdown, an aggressive new defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz, and a now stable organization behind him. The pieces are in place for him to grow into a difference-maker. And that’s exactly what Andrew Berry was hoping for when he targeted him.
Up Next