Lavert

Hill

Hill (5'10/190) benched 225 pounds a whopping 21 times at Indy’s combine but plays with little physicality and often allowed receivers of similar (and sometimes less) size bully him away from the line of scrimmage. He was impressively one of only four players in Michigan’s illustrious school history with multiple interception returned for touchdowns, ending his career with the sixth-most passes defended (29), but one could easily attribute those gaudy numbers to the Big 10’s less than stellar aerial attacks. Overall, Hill has been easily outmatched in his career and projects to struggle for playing time in Kansas City until he proves otherwise.

“Hill’s body control and short area quickness put him in position to make plays on the football,” Zierlein writes of the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Hill, “but when forced to cover downfield, he begins to grab and pull to prevent big plays against him.” The analyst has his concerns about Hill’s size (or lack thereof) but is a fan of the Michigan corner’s “instincts, ball skills and cover strength.” While Hill received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, he opted not to take part in athletic testing outside of the bench press. Michigan holds its pro day on Friday.

Hill is a former Michigan man just like Lewis, which makes some sense as to why the comparison fits. Though an undersized cornerback at 5-foot-10 and 190-pounds, Hill plays with “in-your-face press technique” and has the speed to recover if he loses a step at some point. Hill is also fantastic at playing the ball in the air despite his size. However, Zierlein has some concerns about where Hill will play considering he is a bit small to play outside, yet does not have the side-to-side quickness to keep up in the slot. It may take a few years in the league for Hill to find his place.

Hill (5'11/182) has been an analytical darling in his time with the Wolverines, and last year he broke up eight passes while picking off three for the 9-3 Michigan club. The questions seem to come with his athleticism, and he’ll have a chance to answer some of those questions -- to an extent, anyway -- when he faces off against some of the better wideouts in the Shrine Bowl.

Hill (5'11/182) is one of three Wolverines expected to play after dealing with injury issues earlier in the week, with DE Kwity Payne and WR Nico Collins being the others. The senior cornerback has been one of the best at his position this season, as he’s picked off two passes. Due to the undisclosed injury Hill did not play in last week’s win at Illinois.

Hill (5'11/181) is among the best senior CBs in the country and his outing against Iowa proved it. In addition to a solid four tackles, Hill grabbed his second interception of the season. Hill’s efforts played a major role in Iowa QB Nathan Stanley averaging just 6.2 yards per pass and tossing three interceptions. Michigan face Illinois this weekend to help pad their record to 5-1.

Hill (5'11/181) technically tied Penn state CB Tariq Castro-Fields for the fewest yards per cover snap with 0.64. The next closest player was Minnesota CB Kiondre Thomas with 0.70 yards per snap. Hill decided to return for his senior season and will now be the team’s best defensive prospect entering this season. He’s the preseason favorite for the Jim Thorpe award and is expected to have a big 2019.

Hill (5'11/181) will have one more season of experience in press man coverage under his belt when the 2019 season comes to an end. Already one of the top cornerbacks in college football, the senior cornerback should be one of the preseason favorites to take home the Jim Thorpe Award. Hill wasn’t tested all that much in 2018, as he accounted for 14 total tackles, one interception (which was returned for a touchdown) and six passes defensed.

What that procedure was is unknown at this time, but Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh did say that Hill (5'11/181) was “progressing.” We assume this means he’ll be ready for the start of the season, but that’s not confirmed as of yet. He was one of the top corners in college football the last two years, and should be again in 2019 as long as he’s healthy enough to do so.

Hill (5'11/181) was a fringe top-10 corner in this draft, but he is returning for his senior season to improve his draft stock and to get his degree. The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyard likes Hill’s decision to return, as it “was clear watching him this season that he was not ready for the jump yet.” As a junior, Hill had one interception and 14 tackles.