Ronnie

Hickman

Delpit suffered the concussion in Week 5 and did not practice this week before being ruled out. Fellow starting safety Ronnie Hickman Jr. (ankle) was also ruled out. Cleveland’s depleted secondary will be an easy target for a returning duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith this week.

A two-sport star in high school, Hickman (6’0/203) achieved All-American status in both football and lacrosse, which he almost chose to play over football until Ohio State came to him with a scholarship offer. He tore an ACL as a senior in high school which caused him to redshirt as a freshman, but Hickman earned a starting role in 2021 and excelled by leading OSU with 100 tackles and receiving Second Team All-Big Ten recognition. However, in 2022 it all came together for him under new DC Jim Knowles, leading the team with seven PBU while allowing a 39.2 NFL passer rating when targeted in addition to an outstanding 88.9 PFF coverage grade. A relentless run defender, Hickman played a hybrid linebacker role until this year to take advantage of his freakish 33” arms and ability to trigger downhill. He can have trouble with tight ends and will allow completions in front of him in order to keep receivers from beating him deep. He’s still getting a feel for single-high responsibilities but shows the fluidity and quickness required to stick around on an NFL roster.

Hickman plays both wide receiver and defensive back at his high school (DePaul Catholic; Wayne, NJ), but it appears the Buckeyes will have Hickman playing safety at the collegiate level. He picked the Buckeyes over interest in schools like Florida State, Michigan and Notre Dame. He ranks 67th overall in ESPN’s list of the top players in the 2019 class. Hickman has the size to be an enforcer as a safety, and it sounds like he’s a quality athlete if he was being highly-recruited as a wide receiver. Just another quality add for Urban Meyer and company.