Jaden Hicks film review: The Chiefs new safety is the definition of "Spagsy"
Looking at the film of a guy who checks every box, for good and for bad, of a Spags guy.
If you say the term “Spags gonna Spags” to virtually any Chiefs fan, they’ll know exactly what you mean by that.
We’ve talked at length here about Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s tendencies to throw various coverages and blitzes at opposing quarterbacks (like when he put Tua and Miami in a torture chamber in last year’s playoffs). And Spagnuolo’s tendency to dial up pressure in the biggest moments is well known. So quite often, the term “Spags gonna Spags” is in reference to one of the greatest defensive coordinators in league history (argue with a wall if you disagree, the record speaks for itself) doing something psychotic schematically.
However, there’s another way that Spags… well, goes all Spags. And that’s when it comes to personnel. Because if there’s one thing Spags can’t resist in a player, it’s… well, let’s stop getting ahead of ourselves, OK? I’ll just say that in Jaden Hicks, Spags has appeared to go full Spags again. And that’s something that can be taken as a positive, or potentially (and I’m going against the grain here) a negative.
The Chiefs’ 4th round pick has been largely celebrated by draft twitter and analysts alike, in part because the safety out of Washington State was anticipated to be drafted significantly earlier than when the Chiefs grabbed him. But what does the film say? As ever, it’s important to see what a player does snap in and snap out. So just like we’ve done with multiple other draft picks (you can find the Xavier Worthy, Kingsley Suamataia, and Jared Wiley articles by clicking their names here), I went back and watched multiple games of Hicks on all-22.
Let’s talk Hicks film, where he fits with the Chiefs, where there are some question marks, and why he’s one of the most Spags picks (for good and otherwise) that I can imagine.
One of the first things you’re going to notice when you turn on Hicks’ film is that the 6’1”, 211-pounder plays more like he’s 6’3” and 230 pounds. This shows up in every aspect of his game, so it’s tough to pick a certain place to start. But one of the most obvious ways (especially when accounting for his usage at Washington State) is that he can play close to the line of scrimmage every snap of a game and not look out of place, taking on offensive linemen at the point of attack and as they pull.
This is one of those “doesn’t show up in the box score” type of plays that Spags (and any defensive coach, really) loves to see from his secondary. Hicks is coming on a blitz regardless from all appearances, and when it shows up as a run he needs to take on the pulling center and leave no room for the runner to break around the edge. It’s a very “do your job” moment of the sort that tests run defenders.
Hicks not only stays in his lane and prevents any sort of room to the outside, but he actually manages to displace the offensive lineman in a big collision that you don’t generally see from guys coming in from the secondary. That sort of physicality in the box has a ton of value in the right system… like one that asks safeties to step in and play hybrid linebacker roles and attack the line of scrimmage with frequency.