Michigan Wolverines junior defensive back Daxton Hill was an impact player the day he set foot on campus. The former five-star safety continues to make strides with every game he plays and currently is one of the biggest difference-makers on the Michigan defense.
Given that the 2021 season is his third with the program, it is natural to speculate about what his NFL outlook might be after this season. Hill's pedigree has always made him a player that talent evaluators have kept a close eye on and the microscope is on him more than ever as a draft-eligible prospect.
Those in the draft media have already started to weigh in on Hill as a prospect.
Pro Football Network's Ian Cummings Profiled Hill's Strengths In Aug. 2021
"Hill’s athletic numbers hint at otherworldly dynamism, and he lives up to that on tape. When Hill plays at full speed, he moves at a pace that few can match. Expectedly, the Michigan product has elite explosiveness and pursuit speed. These qualities combine into impressive range, both downfield and side to side.
Hill is an extremely twitchy athlete who possesses ample amounts of constant potential energy. He has the athleticism to quickly adjust his angles in tight spaces, and his speed and explosiveness allow him to make up ground when he reacts late. The Michigan S shows off intense closing burst at the tackle point, and his impressive proportional length allows him to handle one-on-one situations."
The Draft Network's Kyle Crabbs Wrote On What He Needs To Improve Ahead Of The Season
"For all of the enticing qualities that Hill puts on display, he’s ultimately still a nine-game starter at the college level and will need a much larger resume in order to fully sell teams on his ceiling and, just as importantly, his floor. Hill’s ball production to date has been strong given the sample size of reps he’s been afforded at Michigan, but there’s room for improvement on a per-game and per-target basis and you’d certainly like to see his anticipation make a leap to allow him to feel, see, and attack more plays to create big momentum swings in any given game. Hill’s frame is a touch lean, too—for such an assertive tackler you’d perhaps like to see some additional density on his frame in order to ensure he withstands the wear and tear of the NFL. He’s still young, though; there’s plenty of time for that to materialize."
Both of those profiles came out before the season started, so the knock against Hill's lack of experience is mostly unfounded at this point. The Wolverines have played him closer to the line of scrimmage in a nickel role in Mike Macdonald's defense, which has done a lot for his playmaking ability.
Hill has played 240 of his 342 snaps this season in the slot with 53 reps out of the box and 31 at free safety. Ten snaps have also come as a boundary corner, so Michigan has done a lot to move him around situationally. Pro Football Focus has Hill listed as a cornerback and ranks him 79th out of 600 eligible players with a total grade of 73.3.
Hill has five career interceptions, two of which have come in the last two games at Wisconsin and Nebraska. The playmaking ability and versatility have been on display, but his draft stock is all over the place considering he is an underclassman.
Here's a look at where he has landed in recent mocks.
"Hill is a phenomenal athlete who can play safety or cornerback and will be a serious playmaker in Buffalo's defense," Trapasso wrote in a brief explanation for his pick. Last week, Trapasso had Hill as the No. 20 overall pick to the Tennessee Titans.
Pro Football Network's Oliver Hodgkinson Is Much Lower On Hill
PFN's most recent mock draft from Oct. 9 has Hill as a third-round selection, coming off the board with the No. 74 overall pick to the Washington Football Team. This is the lowest Hill has appeared in any of the mock draft research done as of this posting.
The Draft Network's Mock Draft Machine Weighs In
This is one of the best, most interactive mock draft tools on the internet. They also have an incredibly talented team of writers and analysts, so their feedback is refreshing. A few spins of the machine saw Hill come off the board towards the end of the first round with the Detroit Lions' pick from the Los Angeles Rams (No. 27 overall). Local fans would be on board with that, it seems.
Walter Football's Charlie Campbell Has Hill As A 2023 Prospect
Of course, it is always possible that 2021 is not Hill's last hurrah at Michigan, which would allow him to return for his senior year and make the jump to the 2023 draft class. Campbell has Hill coming off the board with the 20th overall pick to Washington in his way-too-early mock.
Hill has the ability and traits to be a first-round pick and the second half of the season should provide plenty of spotlight games before evaluators and a national audience. Hill has the best shot on the roster of joining senior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson as a likely first-round pick this spring.
He will test extremely well in the pre-draft process, which will help him whenever his time comes to go pro. It helps that he is playing in a defense meant to emphasize what Michigan's players do well. Macdonald will put him in positions to put his abilities on display.
His pro outlook will be determined by what happens on the field, and it is likely that he would have it no other way. Hill has a ton to gain in these final six regular-season games.
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