When Ryan Pace and the New Orleans Saints drafted Akiem Hicks in the third round of the 2012 draft, the young defensive lineman couldn’t have been happier going to a perennial contender.
“I thought I was going to be a Saint for life,” Hicks told The Athletic. “I’m going to play here for 10 years and they are going to put my name on a banner in the stadium.”
His initial hopes and dreams didn’t come true, but you won’t hear him complaining about it. Coming off of his first Pro Bowl season with the Chicago Bears, he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“I’m appreciated here for everything I am,” he said. “I’ve never been expected to be anyone but myself here. And when I’m myself, I’m at my best.”
The Saints traded him to the New England Patriots in 2015 during his fourth season in New Orleans. When he hit free agency the next offseason, his Chicago-native mother was excited for him to join the Bears.
Three seasons later, Hicks looks like one of Pace’s smartest draft picks and free agent signings, even if the young executive wasn’t the top decision-maker the first time around.
Hicks’ name won’t be on a banner at the Superdome, but he’s well on his way to being remembered in Chicago for a long time.
