Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations, Catherine Hickman (4.25.25)
With Carson (Schwesinger), what did you like about him and how does he fit within Jim Schwartz’s linebacker group there?
“Well, first off, hi everyone, good to see everybody. I mean, I have to start with Carson’s journey, off the field, even before going straight to your question, because [it’s] such an impressive journey. A walk-on, that mentality, what he’s going to bring to our program. From a work ethic and leadership standpoint, I think he’s invaluable. On the field, you’re thinking of a very versatile, athletic, instinctive player with good feel. And that’s something that Jim and Coach Tarv (Jason Tarver) put premium on when it comes to versatility. It gives them pieces to interchange and attack offenses differently. So I think that’s what he’s going to bring. Extremely productive in his last year and also a very productive special teams player in his first two years as well. So really just extremely excited to bring a young man like Carson into our program.”
Hey, Catherine, I know Glenn just said that you’re just trying to maximize the value of the picks, but are you surprised that the first two picks you made were both on defense given what looks like a bunch of needs on offense?
“No, definitely not surprised. Because the way we approach the draft is obviously to get better, you know, in the near future and long term. And when you have a player like Mason who’s available and how disruptive he can be in this game, he’s helping this football team. And I think Carson can do the same thing. I don’t think I know Carson will do the same thing. So really it’s about getting this football team better as a whole. And of course we’ll continue to add more players that are going to help on both sides of the ball. But no, I’m not surprised because these guys were just holistically had wonderful profiles and will be key contributors to winning football games.”
You mentioned Carson’s off the field stuff and journey. When you are evaluating these guys, Quinshon and even Mason, the guys to come, what’s the scale of how much these guys impact you as people and the off the field stuff versus obviously you want them to be skilled on the field too.
“I mean, I like to say we’re building a team. We’re not just acquiring talent. And by that, like the culture that we’re trying to build, the type of people we’re trying to bring here is really important. We want to play tough and competitive. We want to work hard. That’s what we’re about. You have to be physical and tough to play in this division. So bringing guys here that can play that brand of football is really important to us and so far the guys we brought are embodying this.”
Catherine, with Judkins, how important is it that he produced stats wise in the SEC and the Big Ten? And can you just talk about his running style and why that violent style is appealing to you guys?
“Yeah, huge. I mean again a physical downhill player that’s going to again bring the physicality I just referred but also someone that is going to be able to contribute on third down, whether that’s in pass pro. He’s a dependable pass catcher, so really like a well-rounded prospect that’s going to be able to help us and play the type of football we want to play.”
Hi Catherine, can you just talk about how Judkins will fit in with Jerome, how they might complement each other and does he remind you of anybody in the NFL? Any comps that you’ve seen?
“I think when it comes to the first part of your question, yes, there’s definitely going to be a great complement here with Jerome in terms, I mean both players are well rounded so they can both do everything. And I think that’s the beauty of it. Now all of a sudden it gives Tommy (Rees), Duce (Staley), Kevin (Stefanski) options and how they want to deploy and best use their skill sets. Now I mean his physicality, his contact balance, the way he runs with strength is something I’ve seen in Nick as an example and those are things, and I’m not saying that this is Nick, Nick is just again, what Nick means to this organization is beyond words. But what I’m saying here is this style of play is just going to fit very nicely with what we’re trying to do.”
Catherine, along those lines with Quinshon, him sort of staying for an extra year after he transferred, but also split in a backfield last year and still being as productive as he was. Just when you guys are trying to figure out a role for him and sort of picture what he looks like, how much does that unselfishness and his ability to sort of improvise and go with the flow, how much does that impact what you guys kind of envisioned for him?
“Yeah, that’s a great question. I think playing running back by committee is something I’ve seen quite frequently throughout my career, whether that was in Philly when I was there or even the way we maximize players skill set and use them. So yes, for sure someone who’s not only done that in college. But I think again, it comes back to putting this team in the best position to win. So in situations where our coaches feel that, you know, that’s a good situation for Quinshon’s skill set or other players we have on our roster, like I leave that to them to figure out how best to use them. But most definitely, we’re looking for team players, guys that are wanting to do what’s best for this team. Team first. And Quinshon definitely showed that.”
You just mentioned Nick Chubb, so where does this leave him?
“I’ll say it again because it’s just so important. Like what Nick means to this organization is humongous and it doesn’t mean anything. Like, at the end of the day, tonight is about bringing drafted players into this organization. And very excited to welcome Quinshon.”
How did you get an evaluation? Was it with Schlesinger, with UCLA moving to the Big Ten this past year?
“Yeah, that’s a very valid point. I think of course, you look at a player who’s had tremendous production this past year, but it was that one year. But you look at the totality of circumstances, what happened throughout his career, what he’s done before this past year and how he’s produced before. And we take all of that into consideration. But what he’s done, what he’s done this past season is undeniable for sure.”
Is there a concern that it was only one season of production and how do you balance that versus guys that probably did it for longer?
“Yes, I’m not going to say a concern, but it’s definitely…We weigh all information into the decision making process. So it’s really looking at the entire body of work, some of the circumstances that were there before this past year and then really understanding also as we got to know him through the process. Like how he navigated these years and what he’s done throughout his three years in UCLA. And ultimately we felt very comfortable with the entirety of the profile and what he’s done.”
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