The second Wolverine to come back off the board in the course of the 2022 NFL draft was former Michigan security Daxton Hill. The Cincinnati Bengals chosen Hill with the thirty first decide of the primary spherical.
Hill was mocked as a late first-round decide or an early second-round decide, however one thought everybody shared — Hill is a flexible piece that may be moved round. Hill performed security at Michigan, however he additionally performed some nickel again, and he turned a freak off the skin attending to the quarterback or stopping the run.
A preferred staff the consultants had Hill going to was the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs or the Buffalo Payments, however the AFC champions actually needed the Swiss Military knife out of Michigan.
There are many draft grades on the market for the Bengals, and for the collection of Dax Hill. Listed here are a few of grades we may discover speaking concerning the Bengals deciding on the previous Michigan participant.
ESPN.com
Mel Kiper Jr. with ESPN.com gave the Bengals a B for the draft, however he cherished the Daxton Hill decide.
The Tremendous Bowl runners-up didn’t have many picks, however they made their first two depend on my board. Daxton Hill has wonderful upside as a defensive again who can play as a slot nook and a deep security and might even get some snaps outdoors. I assumed he’d go about 10 picks increased than he did, so I really like this one, particularly with the Bengals having some turnover at nook. Hill additionally could possibly be a possible alternative for Jessie Bates III, if the staff and participant can’t come to an settlement on a brand new contract.
Professional Soccer Focus
PFF.com is giving the Bengals a B-plus for the draft, and PFF appreciated the Hill decide.
Day 1: Hill brings athleticism, strong collegiate manufacturing and flexibility to the desk. Whereas he didn’t put on many hats in Michigan’s protection and primarily lined the slot, he has the talent set to be versatile. And given Cincinnati’s present roster assemble, he’s going to be taking part in a distinct function than he did as a Wolverine. Hill produced a top-10 protection slot protection grade amongst Energy 5 defensive backs from 2020 to 2021.
Bleacher Report
Alex Ballentine with B/R gave the Bengals a B-minus grade, and he thinks Hill’s worth will come from the defensive coordinator.
The Cincinnati Bengals hadn’t used a first-round decide on protection since Williams Jackson III in 2016. So it makes some sense the Bengals focused Daxton Hill.
His worth will in the end come right down to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo determining learn how to use him. He primarily performed within the slot at Michigan however has the athleticism to play deep as nicely.
Sporting Information
Vinnie Iyer with Sporting Information gave the Bengals No. 31 decide a B-.
31. Cincinnati Bengals: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan
It is a curious case of the participant himself being a strong decide as Hill brings the best mix of smarts, instincts, smarts and quickness to the place. However security can be a power for Cincinnati with franchise participant Jessie Bates and strong Vonn Bell. The staff additionally has a high-quality slot nook in Mike Hilton. The Bengals didn’t have any obvious wants and the offensive line values didn’t line up, it’s simply attention-grabbing that probably the greatest gamers accessible was extra of a luxurious. This would possibly imply they received’t be signing Bates long-term.
TouchdownWire
Doug Farrar with TouchdownWire actually appreciated the decide of Hill, and he gave the No. 31 decide an A.
GRADE: A.
Right here. I’ll simply place what I wrote in my last mock draft, once I had the Bengals deciding on Hill proper right here with the thirty first decide:
The Bengals did so much in free company to improve their offensive line (a veritable and apparent necessity), they usually might do extra on this explicit mock. However additionally they want assist in the secondary — Chidobe Awuzie and Jessie Bates III are nice defenders, and the addition of Hill, who can play all over the place from the slot to the deep third to outdoors cornerback, would give defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo every kind of choices.
The Ringer
Danny Kelly with The Ringer gave Cincinnati a B for the draft. He mentioned that the Bengals’ theme was versatility.
Versatility was the motif for the Bengals’ draft, with the staff utilizing its prime two picks on line-them-up-anywhere defensive backs in Michigan’s Daxton Hill and Nebraska’s Cam Taylor-Britt.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24924653/236780_Google_AntiTrust_Trial_Custom_Art_CVirginia__0003_1.png "Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25672934/Metaphor_Key_Art_Horizontal.png "There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does")
