Ronnie Hickman made his case for a roster spot with the Cleveland Browns with a two-interception performance Friday night.
On the second interception, Hickman read the receiver's route and followed the quarterback's eyes, leading to the second turnover of the night and halting Washington's drive inside the red zone, keeping the Browns in the game in the fourth quarter.
“I knew I was close to the end zone, so I didn’t want to back up too much," he said after the game. "I felt the breaking route, was able to lock eyes with the quarterback and kind of saw him staring at it. I just went to go make a play on the ball and was fortunate enough to come down with it.” Having that type of performance didn't come as a surprise to Hickman. After a four-year career at Ohio State, he joined a Cleveland defense that has plenty of veterans in the defensive secondary. Being able to learn from safeties Grant Delpit, Juan Thornhill and Rodney McLeod – the latter two of which signed with Browns this offseason – has been a blessing for the rookie throughout his first training camp.
“Luckily, I walked into a room with a lot of veterans, so just trying to be a sponge to those guys and learn as much as I can," Hickman said.as an undrafted free agent, the 21-year-old was expected to be a depth piece for Cleveland throughout the preseason. He looked like more on Friday, when he played 74% of the team’s defensive snaps and 57% of their special teams snaps .
Although he didn't get drafted, Hickman showcased his explosive downhill burst, playmaking ability and range in the defensive backfield throughout his time as a Buckeye, including a career-best eight pass breakups and an interception while patrolling the back end of the defense at free safety in 2022. In his second NFL game, preseason or not, he showed that his skill set translates to the highest level.
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