Overview

After earning multiple high school All-American honors, Nicks did not disappoint Tar Heel fans during his three seasons as a starter. He quickly established himself as a prospect NFL scouts had to keep an eye on, catching 113 balls for 1,618 yards and nine touchdowns in his first two seasons.

Nicks took his play to another level as a junior, however. A first-team All-ACC selection, Nicks snared 68 passes for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns, with many of them coming dramatically. The strength and athleticism he displayed with eight receptions for 217 yards and three touchdowns against West Virginia in the Meineke Car Care Bowl helped him turn in arguably the most memorable performance of the 2008-09 bowl season.

Hicks may lack elite stopwatch speed, but NFL scouts would do well to remember that so too did Anquan Boldin and Chad Johnson. Had an arm span of 33 1/2 inches and a hand span of 10 1/2 inches at the combine.

SuperPrep All-America ... EA Sports First-Team All-America ... Ranked the No. 8 player in North Carolina and the No. 22 wide receiver in the country by SuperPrep ... Named MVP of the 4-AA state championship game after leading Independence (15-0) to a 38-19 win over New Bern ... Had eight receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns (11 and 80 yards) in Independence's 92nd-straight victory ... Did not lose a game in his high school career ... Named to the North Carolina Associated Press All-State team ... Named the Charlotte Observer Offensive Player of the Year ... Ranked the No. 4 player in North Carolina and No. 31 wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com ... Considered the No. 9 player in North Carolina by The Charlotte Observer ... Member of North Carolina's Shrine Bowl team ... Caught a 37-yard touchdown pass in the Shrine Bowl ... Had three catches for 42 yards in the Shrine Bowl ... Ranked first in the state of North Carolina with 93 receptions for 1,819 yards and 20 touchdowns, including 10 in the playoffs, as a senior ... Had three straight games with 10 or more catches ... Coached by Tommy Knotts.

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Analysis

Positives: Passes the eyeball test. Good initial quickness off the snap. Good strength and lateral agility to fight through press coverage. Sneaky downfield speed. Good burst out of his breaks to generate separation, especially on slants. Rare body control for a player of his size. Can contort his body in space to make the spectacular reception. Sticky hands. Can snatch out of the air or absorb with his body when he feels an impending big hit. Knows where the sidelines, down markers and, most importantly, end zone are. Good height and leaping ability for the fade. Rare strength, balance and agility to turn short and intermediate catches into long gains. Good vision to cut back against the grain. Improved with each year of experience. Might just be scratching the surface of his potential.

Negatives: Questionable deep speed. May lack the top-end speed to challenge defensive backs over the top, allowing savvy NFL defenders to close off the crossing routes on which Nicks generated much of his success. One of three legitimate NFL-caliber receivers for the Tar Heels, and capitalized on defenses spread thin.

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