Fans got to see Kansas City Chiefs rookie Jaden Hicks for the first time against the Jaguars on Saturday, and judging from the praise he earned from Andy Reid and his teammates during the team’s post-game press conference, his performance was nothing short of superb.
Hicks, played at Washington State in his collegiate career, becoming a key fixture of the Cougars’ defense before being selected by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft in April.
During comments to the media on Monday, Hicks was asked to evaluate his debut against Jacksonville. Though he seemed confident, he made it clear that Saturday’s outing was solid, if not spectacular.
“I would say I’m content with it,” Hicks explained. “There are some plays that I could have made – still plays to be out there. Overall, I think I did alright.”
Hicks further opened up on his current focus of transitioning into his role on the Chiefs’ special teams unit, and what he is looking to improve on during the rest of Kansas City’s training camp.
“[I am] just running down there using my abilities,” Hicks said. “With the new kickoff rule, that’s a bit of an adjustment with close spacing and stuff like that. Learning all the roles and plays on the defense, that’s going pretty smooth so far. I’m just looking to keep learning from that and keep going from here.”
“Things I need to work on, I would just say – overall, I would just say keep playing hard through the whistle. Some plays I was getting a little tired, but I mean playing on special teams and stuff like that at the end of the day. Yeah, just keep going straight through the whistle.”
Kansas City’s coaching staff has high hopes for the rookie and with veteran safety Justin Reid likely to be off the field for the Chiefs’ next tilt, Hicks will likely get another chance to impress as a starter.