Raiders 7-round Mock Draft: QB not the only need filled by Las Vegas

113. Jaden Hicks S Washington State

The Raiders don’t have major need at safety thanks to the improvement of Trevon Moehrig and the play of Marcus Epps but they will always need more talent in the defensive backfield. Thanks to Patrick Graham’s multiple safety looks, having a player like Jaden Hicks out of Washington State would be a perfect fit.

Hicks is a massive safety at 6-2 and 211lbs and he packs a massive punch when making tackles in space. He never shies away from contact and is a physical presence downfield and in the box. The Las Vegas native did not blow anyone away with his performance at the combine as most of his events were at best in the 70th percentile. He is not an athletic marvel compared to some other safeties but he is also considerably longer and bigger than most of them.

The former Cougar was productive as a tackler with 110+ over the last two seasons and also made some plays downfield with 3 picks over the same span. He will need to work on some of the finer details in zone coverage and can be a penalty magnet but he has high upside and is a great competitor. We could see him establishing himself as a leader on this defense in a few years and could take the job from Epps with a great early performance.