NFL draft 2022: Dax Hill, Michigan’s play-making safety, goes to Bengals at No. 31

His inventory slowly rose because the offseason wore on, and now Dax Hill is a first-round NFL prospect.

The do-it-all security who impressed scouts final season as a playmaker in Michigan’s secondary was taken No. 31 by the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Hill is the second Michigan participant to be drafted within the first spherical this yr, becoming a member of Aidan Hutchinson (No. 2, Detroit Lions).

He’s the primary Michigan defensive again to be taken in Spherical 1 since 2017, when Jabrill Peppers went No. 25 to the Cleveland Browns.

The 6-foot, 191-pound Hill actually flourished this previous season in Ann Arbor, ending the season with 69 tackles (4 1/2 for a loss), 11 move breakups and two interceptions. He moved from a main high-safety position to 1 that noticed him play everywhere in the discipline, together with within the slot as a nickel defending receivers one-on-one.

Extra: Michigan DB Dax Hill explains why he missed Orange Bowl prep

“I actually simply needed to discover myself at first (at Michigan),” Hill informed reporters in March on the NFL Scouting Mix. “And as soon as I used to be comfy with everybody round me, from there, simply leaning on the older guys, simply seeing how they took all the things in, I bursted out of my shell.

“And from there I used to be comfy and assured in all the things that I did.”

Hill actually got here alive within the loss to Michigan State (seven tackles, 2 PBUs) and victory over Ohio State (seven tackles), however his mere presence on the sphere gave the Wolverines a preventing likelihood in opposition to a few of the Huge Ten’s greatest receivers.

It was a departure from earlier years, when Hill, whose cool, calm demeanor interprets to the enjoying discipline, was typically deployed as a standard security tasked with helping the corners in man-coverage. Whereas it was good to have, Michigan didn’t at all times maximize the skillset of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native. In response to Hill, “my versatility and my smarts” are his key traits, together with “being a crew participant.”

Extra: A whole information to Michigan’s lengthy record of 2022 NFL Draft prospects

Hill got here to Michigan as a five-star recruit, after de-committing as soon as from the Wolverines in favor of nationwide powerhouse Alabama, solely to flip again to Jim Harbaugh’s crew on signing day in 2019. He would go on to play in all 13 video games as a real freshman, incomes a daily position on protection.

In 2020, throughout Michigan’s pandemic-shortened season, Hill began all six video games and performed on particular groups — ending second on the crew in tackles (46) with 5 move breakups.

After his breakout season in 2021, Hill — who earned first-team all-Huge Ten honors from the league coaches — wowed NFL personnel on the annual mix, operating the 40-yard sprint in 4.38 seconds, the 20-yard shuttle in 4.06 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.57 seconds. His velocity stays his greatest attribute, however Hill’s IQ is a detailed second. His older brother, Justice, was a fourth-round draft choose of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens in 2019.

“I haven’t actually tapped into all of the issues I’m able to proper now,” Hill mentioned on the mix. “I’ll undoubtedly be extra centered. Not saying I wasn’t centered in any respect at Michigan, however be much more centered due to the character of enjoying within the NFL.”

Hill joins former Michigan operating again Chris Evans in Cincinnati, the place the Bengals reached the Tremendous Bowl final season.