When you’re a five-star recruit, you’re expected to be so good that your name gets called on the first day of the NFL draft. However, for Michigan safety Dax Hill, he wasn’t getting that kind of consideration in the immediate aftermath of the 2021 season.
However, once teams got a chance to see what the Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington alum could do at the NFL scouting combine, things started to change.
Hill went from being a likely second-round pick to likely going on day one, and all of the mock drafts signified that change was on its way. But he was seen as a late-first round pick, so the question was, if he was to go on Thursday night, where would he be going?
We now know the answer to that question, as Hill was selected at No. 31 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. He joins his former teammate, running back Chris Evans in Cincinnati.
In his senior season, Hill diversified his game, adding pass rushing to his arsenal. Though he was only credited with a half sack, it was just another capability that showed his versatility. He managed 4.5 tackles for loss in 2021 as well, along with nine pass breakups and two interceptions.
Hill picked Michigan in 2018 after his official visit in Week 3 for the SMU game, pledging the Monday after the game. However, there was some controversy when he flipped in Dec. 2018 to Alabama before ultimately flipping back on early signing day.
Playing mostly nickel back his freshman year, he got some run as the starting safety in the last three games of the season after starter Brad Hawkins went out with injury.
Hill is the younger brother of Justice Hill, who played running back at Oklahoma State and with the Baltimore Ravens.
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