Delano

Hill

The Seahawks drafted Hill in the third round of the 2017 draft but he didn’t start his first game until the 2018 season. After four years with the team, he had recorded 64 tackles and one pass defense. Back and hip injuries landed Hill on injured reserve in each of the past two seasons, further hampering his growth as a player. He’ll be a project for the Panthers, who can afford to take some high-upside shots on defense.

Diggs sprained his ankle in the third quarter of Sunday’s win at Carolina and won’t be ready for next week’s home matchup with Arizona. Surprisingly dealt by Detroit at the trade deadline, Diggs has logged a team-high three interceptions since debuting with Seattle in Week 11. Delano Hill is next up at safety for the 11-3 Seahawks.

Hill has reportedly lost weight since undergoing hip surgery, but he’s at least back on the field as he competes for a spot in a newly built Seahawks secondary. When Earl Thomas went down last year, Hill was used as the No. 3 safety.

Hill was initially expected to be ready for training camp after rehabbing his season-ending hip injury since January, but that’s clearly not the case. Assuming he returns mid-camp, he’ll likely step into the same No. 3 safety role he played once Earl Thomas went down last year.

Hill served as the Seahawks’ No. 3 safety following last year’s Earl Thomas injury. The 2017 third-round pick would do well to earn a similar role in 2019.

The No. 3 safety in the Seahawks’ post-Earl Thomas secondary, Hill played 327 regular season snaps. The main effect of his loss for the playoff will be thinning Seattle’s depth.

Hill (6’1/216) made 26 starts in the Wolverines’ secondary, tallying seven career tackles for loss with three interceptions. Big Ten coaches voted him second-team all-conference in 2016. Hill ran 4.47 at the Combine, but struggled in other drills and managed a 38th-percentile cumulative SPARQ score. A stiff-hipped, straight-linish defensive back who tackles well but didn’t dominate in college, Hill profiles best as a kick and punt coverage maven in the David Bruton mold.