With 24 starts at right guard on his college football resumé, former ISU offensive lineman Hayworth Hicks is preparing to slide one spot to his left as he readies for an opportunity to play in the NFL.

Hicks, who received the Arthur Floyd Scott Award as Iowa State’s most outstanding offensive lineman in 2011, hopes that by learning the center position that he can showcase to NFL teams his versatility as an offensive lineman.

“It’s really more about being versatile; I just want to have all the positions down,” Hicks said. “I’ll play anything. I can play all the positions but I want to have all the positions down so [coaches] will have no reason not to want to put me in.”

Hicks, who measured in at 6-foot-2-inches, 329 pounds at ISU’s pro day on March 20, said, although he’s never played the position in high school or college, he feels snapping and blocking after the snap seem to be “natural” for him.

“I think I can play center at the next level,” Hicks said. “I mean it’s easy, it’s not a hard position to play so if I find myself there on the line, I think I’ll be fine.”

In addition to showcasing his snapping ability, Hicks went through a gamut of tests at Iowa State’s pro day including the bench press (35 repetitions at 225 lbs.) 40-yard dash (5.35 seconds) and vertical jump (23.5 inches). The vertical jump height was the only test that Hicks did not set a personal record in.

“They really didn’t give me any complaints about anything,” Hicks said of his conversations with NFL personnel at the pro day. “They just said to be ready, be ready for when camp comes around.”

Hicks, a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2011, said that his agent, Brian Hamilton of Plan B Sports Management, has heard from both the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers. Hicks also said that he himself had good conversations with personnel from the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts at ISU’s pro day. Hicks, a Palmdale, Calif. native, said he likes the prospect of returning to California for a chance in preseason camp with either the Chargers or 49ers.

“It could possibly happen because you never know what anybody wants,” Hicks said of getting drafted. “If it happens, it happens; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m not going to sweat it; I’m going to get mine.”

The NFL Draft begins with the first round selections on April 26, continues with rounds two and three on April 27 and the fourth through seventh rounds on April 28.