Running Back
Dwone Hicks
College: Middle Tennessee State
Year: Senior
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 225
Birthday: April 25, 1981
Strengths: To paraphrase the character Zed from the original Men in Black film, Dwone Hicks is a rumor, recognizable only as déjà vu, and dismissed just as quickly. Toiling away in the obscure Sun Belt Conference, it might be hard to know he exists. But for those who have seen Hicks, they plead with you to just watch him play. Good advice, indeed.
Hicks is a very confident and physical back who uses everything he’s got on the field, maximizing every ounce of talent in his body. He will hit the hole with aggression and run through any would be tacklers. Hicks might be at his best in short yardage situations, especially within sniffing distance of a goalline, as he was second last year in Division 1-A scoring. In a game against Louisiana Tech in 2000, Hicks scored six times, piling up over 300 rushing yards in the process.
Areas for Concern: The Sun Belt doesn’t exactly feature the best and brightest that college football has to offer, so there are obvious questions regarding the level of competition Hicks has faced. That’s not to say he’s never played well against the bigger programs, because he has. He ran for big yards against the likes of LSU (117 yards) and Vanderbilt (203 yards), and he will get another crack at the big boys this fall when the Blue Raiders face Tennessee and Alabama. Hicks just doesn’t get the opportunity to face the elite defenses week in and week out like the other top prospects will.
Some scouts will note that Hicks needs a little more speed, but he was slowed in 2001 by a hamstring injury he suffered in a game against North Texas. Hicks stayed on the field for the weeks that followed, playing hurt. Though he wasn’t at his peak, Hicks was still named the conference’s player of the year.
How Would He Look in Steel Blue? Hicks has the type of off-field personality and character for which the Texans are searching.
Idolizing Walter Payton, Hicks is a motivated athlete with a good attitude who works hard for everything he has achieved. Until recently, he was even hesitant to change his jersey number to the single digit he always desired. Let’s hope the Texans don’t hesitate in evaluating Hicks’ numbers because of who he ran over to attain them.
(profile written by Keith Weiland
)
Dwone Hicks‘ 2001 Stats G CAR YDS AVG TD 11 191 1,144 6.0 20
Dwone Hicks 
Return to The War Room 
Click on a player’s name to preview other top RB prospects:
>> Dahrran Diedrick
>> Clarence Farmer
>> Dwone Hicks
>> Onterrio Smith
>> Lee Suggs
