★
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★
★
★
★
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★
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★
Sep 1, 2026
Mickens made the most of his rookie chances. Two picks in 12 games is exactly the kind of flash you want from a young back-end defender, and six starts gave him real experience instead of just special-teams reps. He enters 2026 as a useful developmental piece behind Molden.
Strengths: Natural ball production, early starting experience and the awareness to finish plays when opportunities arrive. He has already shown he can function in the defense rather than merely survive spot duty.
Weaknesses: The sample is still small, and he has not yet carried a full-season starting workload. He needs to keep sharpening tackling consistency and prove the turnover rate translates over more snaps.
