Former five-star and the No. 1 interior recruit in his class, Hicks has been a three-year contributor at Texas A&M whose role is finally widening — 26 tackles and a career-best three sacks over 11 games in 2025 as a projected starter. There's pedigree and length here, and the interior pass-rush flashes are the kind that make evaluators keep the folder open. However, this is a pedigree-outrunning-production case: the tackle and sack totals have been steady rather than dominant for a player recruited to take over a line, and the tape hasn't yet delivered the disruptive season the star ranking promised. A high-ceiling interior lineman with real tools whose grade is held honestly at the fringe until the production catches the recruiting billing — a 2027 name to track, not yet bank.