What injuries?
If Texas Longhorns linebacker Jordan Hicks suffered a decrease in athleticism as a result of multiple season-ending injuries during his career in Austin, it certainly didn't show over the weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Hicks impressed with his overall testing results:
via NFL.com
The official 40-yard dash time from Hicks probably wasn't quite what he wanted, but he made up for it with the explosiveness and agility to finish with the No. 5 vertical jump, the No. 2 time in the three-cone drill, and the No. 2 60-yard shuttle. His 20-yard shuttle also ranked No. 4 among linebackers.
In fact, the three-cone drill by Hicks ranked as the 13th-best mark among linebackers since 2006.
And the split on his 40 time was also impressive:
Texas LB Jordan Hicks unofficially ran a 4.65 and a somewhat eye-popping 1.53 split. Ideal short-time for a player like him.
— Dion Caputi (@nfldraftupdate) February 22, 2015
Hicks won't be able to assuage concerns about his durability after suffering a hip injury that ended his 2012 season and an Achilles tendon injury cut his 2013 campaign short, but it was a positive sign that he remained healthy in 2014 and proved that he has elite agility compared to other linebackers in his class.
The agility drills were especially important to show that he can play in space since he doesn't take on blocks exceptionally well and measured in at 6'1 and 236 pounds -- a height that puts him on a small side for an NFL linebacker.
Under new head coach Charlie Strong, Hicks finally capitalized as a senior on the potential that made him the No. 1 outside linebacker in the 2010 class and a five-star prospect, recording 147 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and two interceptions. His total tackles were the most for a Longhorns player since 1992 and ranks No. 7 on the school's all-time single-season list.
Hicks currently projects to hear his name called somewhere between the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2015 NFL Draft, according to CBSSports.com, but could conceivably move up based on his testing numbers at the Combine.