Washington State safety Jaden Hicks chose NFL Draft over NIL

Washington State redshirt sophomore Jaden Hicks had an opportunity to stay in college and make big NIL money.  Several programs made attempts to woo him with a sweet deal, but he opted to declare for the NFL Draft instead and try to be a young pro.

“It was crazy,” he said during his press conference at the NFL Combine. “I wasn’t really feeding into that or giving my input on that.  It’s crazy.”

The 6-3 212 prospect who is originally from Las Vegas said he mirrors his game after Los Angles Chargers safety Derwin James.

“Being disciplined with my eyes,” he said when asked how he has improved the most over the past year. “I started my role as a younger guy, but growing into that role and being a safety you have to have disciplined eyes, keeping my eyes correct.”