It’s been a good couple of days for Bears DE Akiem Hicks. After learning he’d finally cracked the NFL Top 100 list this season, coming in at #39, Hicks was listed as the seventh-best interior defensive lineman in the league heading into 2019, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
PFF ranked Hicks No. 4 at the end of the 2018 season, finishing behind the Lions’ Damon (Snacks) Harrison, the Eagles’ Fletcher Cox, and the Rams’ Aaron Donald.
PFF had this to say about the Bears 2018 pro-bowl lineman:
Hicks exploded onto the NFL scene in 2019, and that may even be an understatement. After earning sub-77.0 overall grades in each of his first six years in the NFL, the Bears defensive interior turned in a career-high 91.6 overall grade across 842 defensive snaps in 2018. He also earned career-high marks in run-defense grade (92.9) and pass-rush grade (78.0) on the year.
His improved run defense this past season was absurd. Hicks joined elite company in that regard, finishing the year ranked third among qualifying defensive linemen in run-stop percentage (13.3%) and fourth in run-defense grade (92.9).
Building on his career year will require Hicks to maintain his elite efficiency against the run while also improving his pass-rush grade even further. If he can do both of those things in his age-29 season, he’s bound to land himself a spot on the 2020 PFF50.
Hicks is a unique story. He’s one of the rare players who’s becoming more of a household name as he teeters toward 30 years old than he was when he first entered the league.
And just think: he can be even better in 2019.
