Jaden Hicks first of several WSU Cougars taken on third day of NFL draft

PULLMAN — For the third straight year, Washington State had a player selected in the NFL draft.

The first Cougar off the board this year is former safety Jaden Hicks, who was drafted in the fourth round Saturday by the Kansas City Chiefs, who used the 133rd overall pick to take the All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection from last season.

Hicks, who gives the Cougs a draft pick in three straight seasons, redshirted his freshman season and played two seasons at WSU. Last year, he totaled 76 tackles, four passes defended, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and two interceptions, one against Washington and one a pick-six against Colorado State.

A Las Vegas native, the 6-foot-2 Hicks checked in as the No. 59 player and fourth-best safety on ESPN’s 2024 NFL draft rankings. Last year, the strong safety finished last season with a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 81.8, which ranked seventh among Pac-12 safeties. He gave up 21 receptions on 32 targets.

He’s headed to Kansas City, the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, knocking off San Francisco in February and Philadelphia the year before.

“Hicks can line up over the slot and high, but he is at his best playing close to the line of scrimmage,” ESPN’s Steve Muench wrote of him. “He is effective matching up with backs and tight ends and dropping into underneath zone when he lines up at linebacker depth. Hicks is a rangy run-defender who fills gaps and flashes the ability to disrupt plays in the backfield. He also can pluck the ball out of the air and is competitive in 50-50 situations.”

Hicks is also the first WSU defensive back to be drafted since 2022, when Jaylen Watson went in the seventh round (No. 243) overall, also to the Chiefs. Prior, the last WSU defensive back to hear his name called was Shalom Luani, who was selected in the seventh round (No. 221 overall) by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2017.

At last month’s NFL combine, Hicks registered these numbers: 4.37 seconds in the shuttle, 37.5-inch vertical jump and 10-2 broad jump, which helped boost his stock in the draft. At Pro Day, which WSU held at Idaho’s Kibbie Dome while its facility is under construction, Hicks ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash.

Jackson, Smith-Wade go in fifth

Two more former Washington State players heard their names called in Saturday’s fifth round of the NFL draft.

Edge rusher Brennan Jackson was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, No. 154 overall, and cornerback Chau Smith-Wade went to the Carolina Panthers, who used the No. 157 pick.

For Jackson, a Southern California native, it’s an opportunity to stay close to home. Last season, he started all 12 games, totaling 57 tackles, including 26 solo. He led the team in sacks with 8.5, seven solo. He also led the Cougars in tackles for loss with 12.5, recovering four fumbles, three for touchdowns.

A three-year starter at WSU, Jackson recorded several memorable moments last season, including recovering a fumble for a touchdown in a win over Wisconsin and recovering two for scores in a win over Colorado. In that game, Jackson became the first Cougar to return two fumbles for touchdowns in one game and the first Pac-12 player since Oregon State’s Rashaad Reynolds in 2013.

Jackson, who ranks eighth all-time on WSU’s sacks leaderboard with 20, last season recorded the second-best run defense grade (78.2), third-best coverage grade (71.4) and fifth-best overall defensive grade (82.3) among Pac-12 edges, according to Pro Football Focus. An all-conference second-team pick in 2022, Jackson is also the first Coug drafted by the Rams since wideout Milton Wynn was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 draft by the St. Louis Rams.

Jackson, a second-team all-conference pick in 2023, finished his WSU career with 41 starts in 44 games played and 10th in program history with 34.5 career tackles-for-loss.

“Sixth-year senior who plays like he loves football and never wants the game to end,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “Jackson is a productive, effort-based pass rusher who wins with motor and force but is missing much-needed moves and counters to beat NFL tackles with skill. He plays with good bend and powerful hips to drive his way through a blocker’s edge against run or pass blocks. Jackson is salty at the point of attack and will shed or spin off blocks to find his way to the football. Despite some limitations, Jackson is constantly near the football, thanks to his strength, effort and toughness, and he could become a reliable pro as a 4-3 end or 3-4 rush linebacker.”

For Smith-Wade, who started the first seven games of the 2023 season before missing the final five with an injury, it’s a chance to make a splash on a Panthers team looking to rebuild. Last year, he registered 35 tackles, 22 solo, with two tackles for loss and six pass breakups. He totaled a season-high seven tackles on two occasions, in wins over Colorado State and Oregon State.

An all-conference honorable mention selection in 2022, Smith-Wade also recorded six tackles in a loss to Arizona last season, plus five tackles with two pass breakups in a loss to UCLA. He also logged three tackles and a PBU in a win over Wisconsin.

At the NFL combine, Smith-Wade recorded a 40-yard dash of 4.54 seconds and a 20-yard shuttle time of 4.32 seconds, which helped boost his stock. 

“A slender cornerback with plus athleticism and speed, Smith-Wade is a capable defender in zone or man coverages,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s below the desired NFL mark on height and weight for an outside cornerback, which could hurt his draft slotting. Smith-Wade is a sticky man-cover corner when he gets into the receiver and he has closing burst that can make up for lost ground. He can be feast-or-famine in zone coverage, as he tends to look to jump short throws and loses his deep-cover responsibility. He could end up outplaying his draft slot due to his ball skills, competitiveness and athletic traits.”

Smith-Wade, a two-year WSU starter who hails from Denver, played his high-school ball at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, where he was named to the Chicago Sun-Times All-Public League First Team as a running back as a senior. 

Notes

Jarrett Kingston, who spent five years playing for Washington State before transferring to USC for last season, was taken in the sixth round by the 49ers.

Edge Ron Stone Jr., a three-year starter, signed an UDFA deal with Las Vegas, according to reports.

Safety Sam Lockett has reportedly received invitations to Seattle and Kansas City’s rookie minicamps.

Linebacker Devin Richardson has reportedly received an invite to Seahawks minicamp.