2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Daxton Hill

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Daxton Hill, 6-0/192 Safety Michigan

Daxton Hill Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Very good nickel cornerback

Man-coverage ability on slot receivers

Plug-and-play starting nickel corner in the NFL

Instinctive

Quick

Fluid; can flip his hips and run

Covers a lot of ground

Always around the ball

Willing run defender

Tough tackler

Has some skills

Very good at picking up receivers in off-man coverage

Versatility

Intelligence

Plays tough and hard

Experienced

Weaknesses:

Slim build

Could have a hard time avoiding injury in the NFL

Could have a hard time holding up as a strong safety, eighth man in the box

Lacks size to tackle NFL running backs

Summary: Hill spent the last three seasons as a dependable slot corner for Michigan while contributing as a safety in base sets. In 2019, he recorded 36 tackles, an interception and three passes defended. Hill was highly productive in the shortened 2020 season, notching 45 tackles, one interception and four passes batted. In 2021, Hill came up with some big plays to help Michigan to a Big Ten Championship. The junior finished out the year with 69 tackles, two interceptions and eight passes broken up.

Hill’s best trait for the next level is his ability to line up and cover slot receivers. His quickness, flexibility and fluid athleticism allow him to line up at the line of scrimmage or pick up receivers in off-man coverage. Hill will be a real asset to his defense when going against dangerous slot receivers. For nickel, he is a phenomenal cover corner to run the route and prevent separation. He shows good instincts to play the ball and is very active in the middle of the field.

The tape of Hill as a safety is not as impressive compared to when he plays nickel corner. He was decent at safety, but he is a tweener. Hill has the mentality of an aggressive strong safety in the body of a deep free safety. For the NFL, he is not a true rangy deep safety and he lacks the size to be a strong safety.



Hill was a good run defender in college, as his tackle totals suggest. He wraps up well and does a nice job of weaving through blockers. Hill is smart about how he tackles, taking the legs out from underneath backs. Hill is undersized, however, so he could have some issues with power backs. While Hill is tough and aggressive, his slight build could lead to injuries as a pro.

For the NFL, Hill looks like a starting nickel corner who could play some safety in the base defense. Teams are in nickel at least 70 percent of their snaps, and sometimes they play nickel the entire game. Given Hill’s limitations at safety, it might make more sense to rest him in base sets to protect him from injury and keep him fresh for his role as the nickel.

Hill could get consideration in the back half of the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He won’t get out of the second round, according to some team sources.



Player Comparison: Jimmie Ward. Injuries have also hurt Ward (5-11, 193) in his NFL career, but when healthy, he is a quality safety and nickel corner for San Francisco. Hill is almost identical in size to Ward. While Ward was a safety/corner tweener, Hill is a true nickel who can play some safety. In the NFL, Hill could be a defender who is similar to Ward.

2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri Amaré Barno, OLB, Virginia Tech Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson David Bell, WR, Purdue Nik Bonitto, OLB, Oklahoma Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas Zachary Carter, DE, Florida Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin Lewis Cine, S, Georgia Damone Clark, LB, LSU Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati James Cook, RB, Georgia Yusuf Corker, S, Kentucky Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State Nick Cross, S, Maryland Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State Logan Hall, DE, Houston Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Daxton Hill, S, Michigan Chasen Hines, G, LSU Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Ed Ingram, G, LSU Drake Jackson, DE, USC Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State Zion Johnson, G, Boston College Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Drake London, WR, USC Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington Verone McKinley, S, Oregon John Metchie, WR, Alabama Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming David Ojabo, DE, Michigan Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Cade Otton, TE, Washington Evan Neal, OT, Alabama Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State George Pickens, WR, Georgia Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Derek Stingley, CB, LSU Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State Quay Walker, LB, Georgia Travon Walker, DE, Georgia Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Zamir White, RB, Georgia Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M

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