RH #33

Ronnie Hickman

Safety · Ohio State

An undrafted Ohio State safety who fought back from a torn ACL in high school, Ronnie Hickman broke out as Cleveland's full-time starting free safety with a career-high 103 tackles in 2025.

Hickman went unselected in all seven rounds of the 2023 draft despite a productive senior year at Ohio State, but he's steadily worked his way into a featured role in Cleveland's secondary. His 2025 season was a breakthrough, and the Browns rewarded him with a restricted free agent tender to keep him in Cleveland for 2026.

★ Second-team All-American, Ohio State, senior season

★ Signed as undrafted free agent, Cleveland Browns, 2023

★ Career-high 103 tackles and two interceptions in 2025

★ Played 98.5 percent of Browns' defensive snaps in 2025

Path to the league

Born in Manhattan and raised in New Jersey, Hickman was a four-star recruit at DePaul Catholic High School who tore his ACL as a senior, forcing a redshirt year at Ohio State in 2019. He developed into a second-team All-American as a senior, recording 53 tackles, an interception and seven pass breakups, but went undrafted in 2023 and signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent.

Career highlights

Hickman spent his first two NFL seasons in a limited role before starting all 17 games in his third season. He has steadily earned more defensive snaps and trust from the Browns' coaching staff at every step of his undrafted journey.

2025 season recap

Hickman had a breakout year as Cleveland's full-time starting free safety, logging a career-high 103 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defensed across 17 games while playing 98.5 percent of the team's defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus graded him as the top player in Cleveland's secondary, and the Browns signed him to a restricted free agent tender worth $5.8 million for 2026.