The race to sign undrafted free agents is always a hot one as teams are on the phones to convince players to join them over other offers they may have. The Cleveland signed a plethora of players, one of them being Ohio State safety Ronnie Hickman. Evaluating undrafted free agent classes, PFF has stated Hickman is one of the best signings of the post-draft affair.
Hickman is coming off of a breakout season for the Buckeyes in 2022, posting an 88.9 coverage grade on the back of five pass breakups, an interception, a 43.3% reception rate and allowing a 39.2 NFL passer rating. The Browns could end up getting a fair bit of use out of Hickman on a thin safety depth chart. He has 91st percentile arm length and the coverage ability to potentially play a rotational role when needed behind Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill.
Hickman, however, has not displayed any ability to play over the top in coverage and lacks the ideal play speed to hang in man coverage. This in addition to missing all offseason testing opportunities due to injury led to the Ohio State safety going undrafted.
Kansas pass rusher Lonnie Phelps, to who the Browns gave a lucrative undrafted free agent contract, was listed as an honorable mention as well.
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