Chiefs Safeties Coach Explains What Fueled Rookie Breakout for Jaden Hicks

With the postseason on the horizon, the Kansas City Chiefs' defense seems to be growing stronger by the day. Part of that is due to cornerback Jaylen Watson making progress in his attempted return from injury, but internal development of some young standouts is also making a difference.

Keeping it in the secondary, rookie safety Jaden Hicks's star was shining bright during the regular season. His last four games, specifically, saw him make a legitimate difference. On 202 snaps played, he logged 14 tackles (two for loss) and a pair of interceptions. He has a streak of one pass breakup in each of those games, too. Kansas City let Hicks completely loose to close out the year, putting him on the field for every defensive snap and getting rewarded with multiple stops.

Last month, head coach Andy Reid said Hicks had earned increased playing time. That's exactly what he's gotten entering the most important stretch of the season, and safeties coach Donald D'Alesio thinks the fourth-round pick's professionalism is a big reason why.

"From the first day Jaden's got here, he's gone about it the right way," D'Alesio said. "He comes in and works hard, wants to learn. He's got a great attitude. He's always smiling, happy to be in the building, loves football. When those rookies get here, we throw a lot at them early just to see what they can handle [and] how they can process things, and then we know it's going to shrink and slow down as the year goes on. I think that's kind of what people are seeing now. He's got the confidence, the reps are starting to come and he's able to go out there and play fast."

Advanced metrics appreciate the Hicks arc, too. For example, Pro Football Focus gave the former Washington State star two of his three best individual grades for the season in just the last month of play. Heading into the divisional round of the playoffs, he holds top-50 marks among all safeties in run defense (50th), overall grade (34th), coverage (26th) and tackling (19th). Earlier in the year, it was difficult to envision a world with Hicks getting serious playing time. Now, he's forced his way on the field with his play and is taking advantage of those opportunities.

D'Alesio pointed out one more key in this improvement: teammates. Hicks has multiple peers that helped get him up to speed and fostered his continued growth. That effort is spearheaded by Justin Reid.

"That helps our coaching staff tremendously," D'Alesio said. "Across the board, guys like Nick Bolton, Justin Reid in our room. Trent (McDuffie) is a younger guy but has played a lot of ball. Those guys do a great job with all of the rookies that come into our room and into our defense, and I think that is because they've been there themselves as rookies or [with] Justin Reid, a new guy learning our defense. They know everything that kind of comes with it, and they want to help those young guys. Justin is a great person for Jaden to learn from."

The talent and potential of Hicks have never been doubted by anyone tied to the Chiefs. Whether it be from a scout at draft time or a former member of Steve Spagnuolo's secondary, the rookie has garnered heaps of praise. Now, the team will hope that keeps being the case during the postseason.