Ronnie Hickman 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Ohio State SAF

Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State: 6’1″, 205 pounds; RS JR

A four-star recruit in 2019, Ronnie Hickman decided to redshirt his first year in Columbus and then saw very few defensive snaps the following season. In 2021, he amassed 99 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.

This past season, the tackling numbers went down and he only had one pick, but seven passes broken up and another forced fumble. That earned him second- and third-team All-Big Ten accolades respectively.

Ronnie Hickman scout report: Strengths

Brock Bowers #19 of the Georgia Bulldogs is tackled by Ronnie Hickman #14 of the Ohio State Buckeyes

+ Bulked up safety with a chiseled physique and 33-inch arms.

+ Has a thirst for contact in the run game and quickly charges up the alley from split-safety alignments.

+ When playing the deep middle, you don’t see him void his space before confirming what he sees, but then he gets downhill in a hurry.

+ Shoots through the legs of bigger bodies to bring them to the turf effectively.

+ Ronnie Hickman's tape includes some tremendous stops in the hole, where the back has plenty of room to work and put a move on him.

+ You love the forceful nature of this guy to run through blockers and disrupt screen plays.

+ Was used as a blitzer from depth on some run downs, where his frame and mentality make him a legit asset.

+ Saw diverse usage at Ohio State with 48% in the box, 18.8% at slot and 30.5% as a deep safety across these past two seasons.

+ You really like the instincts and play-making skills of Ronnie Hickman as a single-high safety, where he sees the entire field well and knows how much depth he needs to gain as receivers are pushing vertically.

+ Does a nice job picking up crossers as a robber, as well as when playing match quarters at times.

+ When buzzed down into shallow zones, he positions himself to make quarterbacks turn down a throw, yet already tilt his body towards a secondary target if he sees that guy back there move along in his progressions.

+ Understands where offenses want to attack and what to expect off play-fakes, taking away the primary read towards the space opponents to open up that way.

+ Shows a great understanding of staying true to his landmarks initially, but then what phase of the play is progressing to and he can attach to the next-closest target, in order to not allow easy completions.

+ Made a great interception against Minnesota in the 2021 season-opener. They were trying to sneak the tight-end down the seams off their typical zone run look and he stepped in front of the pass.

+ Was asked to cap over the number three in trips regularly, where by alignment there was a massive cushion for the receiver to work with.

+ Explosive out of his back-pedal to drive on quick breaks and contest the catch-point emphatically.

+ Displays excellent awareness for any deceleration or lean in the route stems of the guy he’s covering.

+ Provides the frame and physicality to match up with tight-ends one-on-one for extended stretches. He has already shown the speed to carry those guys down the seams.

+ You’re not going to throw screens to the guy he’s manned up against off motion, rapidly erasing that distance and crashing through the shoulder of fellow receivers try to pin him inside.

+ His coverage number this past season were exceptional, holding opposing quarterbacks to 13 of 30 targets his way for 107 yards and no touchdowns, while he made one pick and logged a passer rating of just 39.2.

+ Only penalized once in each of his two seasons as a starter.

Ronnie Hickman scout report: Weaknesses

Roman Hemby #24 of the Maryland Terrapins is tackled by Ronnie Hickman #14 of the Ohio State Buckeyes

– Can get sucked up a little bit too deep in the run game when he’s the last line of defense and has to chase the ball out to the sidelines, rather than taking more direct routes from depth.

– You see Ronnie Hickman round off a bunch of his pursuit angles and allow more yardage than necessary – with even better speed at the NFL level, instead of pushing guys out at the sideline late, those may end up being house-calls.

– Had a massive missed-tackle rate for his career with the Buckeyes at 14.9 percent, not really bringing his hips and arms through the hit.

– Should find more conviction in his game as a zone defender to attack routes and put himself in position to make plays, rather than just controlling his space.

– After seeing him get smoked a few times during Senior Bowl practices, I’m worried about how much legit man-coverage Ronnie Hickman can play against WRs. Michigan State’s Jayden Reed blew right by him on a fade route in their very first rep of one-on-ones, and then somebody else badly beat him towards the middle of the field, where he was worried about getting run by again.

Ronnie Hickman scout report: Grade

Michael Mayer #87 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is upended by Ronnie Hickman #14 of the Ohio State Buckeyes

Ronnie Hickman sort of feels like the forgotten man in this safety class. There were a bunch of really good guys at the position in the Big Ten, but you could argue this guy played it as well as any of them across the past two seasons.

There are two things that he definitely needs to work on, and one more area I’m worried about. His initial pursuit angles and how he initiates contact as a tackler both should be cleaned up, while he looked a little lost one-on-one out there with those Senior Bowl receivers. If he can become a little more assertive with his decision to break on routes, I really like his feeling for space and positioning in zone. I do believe he could be a matchup piece against tight-ends at the next level.

Plus, if Ronnie Hickman learns to consistently utilize his length fully against blockers, you have yourself a pretty complete safety, who you may be able to snag early on day three.

Grade: Fourth round

You might like other 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports: Tyree Wilson (EDGE), Texas Tech; Will Anderson Jr. (EDGE), Alabama; Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR), Ohio; Zay Flowers (WR), Boston; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Quentin Johnston (WR), TCU; Zach Charbonnet (RB), UCLA; Bijan Robinson (RB), Texas.

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