Daxton Hill – Page 5 – Syndication Server

Bengals agree to terms with first-round pick Dax Hill

Dax Hill will ink his contract with the Bengals.

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A day after running with the first team at practice with Jessie Bates out, Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill agreed to terms with the team on his rookie contract.

The Bengals made Hill the 31st pick in the draft, aiming for a versatile defensive back with rare athleticism.

He’ll back up multiple spots (safety spots and nickel corner) as a rookie and coaches also think he could play boundary corner if necessary.

Hill was considered one of the best picks of the draft by one expert and Mel Kiper immediately said it was one of the draft’s top steals.

The rookie deal locks up Hill for four seasons with a team option for a fifth.

The #Bengals have agreed to terms with first-round pick #Michigan DB Daxton Hill, source said. He’ll sign today. Another first-rounder in the books.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 18, 2022

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WATCH: Cincinnati Bengals tweet out first look of Daxton Hill

Can’t wait to see him on Sundays!

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Dax Hill with the 31st pick of the 2022 NFL draft.

Hill is projected to play safety at the next level, but as Michigan fans know, Hill can play in a variety of roles. The Swiss-Army knife had big plays with the Wolverines lined up at safety, nickel, or cornerback. The former five-star recruit made some explosive plays coming off the outside in rush situations as well — the Bengals got the real deal with Hill. The Bengals secondary should be pretty stout now that Hill will team up with All-Pro Jessie Bates.

The Bengals announced that Hill will wear jersey No. 23 with the Bengals on Sunday. The AFC champions tweeted out a few videos of players working out and training during their offseason training camps, and one of the videos was of the Bengals’ first-round selection.

Your first look at @daxhill5 😎@KetteringHealth pic.twitter.com/42DR8dZWwu

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) May 14, 2022

The Bengals and Dax Hill open up play on September 11th against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium.

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Bengals’ Dax Hill was best pick of the draft, says one insider

Another rave review for the Bengals and Dax Hill.

A favorite exercise for many football media outlets is their favorite pick of the draft or favorite draft class, things like that. ESPN had their own version with their writers and insiders and the Cincinnati Bengals made an appearance thanks to one writer.

ESPN senior writer Dan Graziano named Bengals’ first-round pick Daxton Hill as his favorite pick in the draft:

S Daxton Hill to the Bengals at No. 31. Look, my answer is probably Hamilton, but I have to think he’s going to be a popular one, so let’s pivot here and highlight what I thought was a really smart value pick by the defending AFC champs. The Bengals see Hill as a Swiss Army knife-type of defensive back who can play safety, slot corner and basically whatever else they need him to do in their secondary. They hit the offensive line hard in free agency, as they should have, but they had some holes to fill on defense, too. Hill can help them fill whatever those turn out to be. And he’s not a bad leverage play for the team in case Jessie Bates III’s contract dispute continues to linger.

The selection of Hill at No. 31 has gotten plenty of praise throughout the media landscape.

On top of that, the ESPN experts were also asked which pick they thought was the most head-scratching and, fortunately for Bengals fans, none of the Bengals picks made that list.

So overall, yet another positive outlook for the Bengals top draft choice.

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Bengals think first-rounder Dax Hill can play outside corner, too

The Bengals have big plans for Dax Hill.

When the Cincinnati Bengals made Dax Hill their first-round pick this year, it was hard to tell if he’d be a candidate to play outside corner.

The next night, they drafted Cam Taylor-Britt to do just that, which seemed to cement Hill would play elsewhere, especially when combined with his size and film suggesting he’d be fine everywhere but there.

But not so fast.

While Hill will surely spend most of his time at the safety and nickel spots, Bengals director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic says he can certainly play on the boundary, too.

“I think he’s going to be really good at all three spots if that’s where you want to use him,” Radicevic said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “He’s got the size, speed, arm length to play outside at corner. Man-cover skills for slot and tight end-type players and range to play free safety. I think he can excel at all three spots.”

Besides the wow-worthy athleticism, leadership and experience all over a secondary, this is a big part of the reason the team made Hill the pick. He’s probably not going to rotate in with Eli Apple on the outside, but if an injury or two happens, they’d be comfortable putting him over there.

And while we might never actually see it, the Bengals helped end this debate here.

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Bengals draft pick Dax Hill was top 20 on Cowboys big board

A Cowboys big board leak shows at least one team was very high on the Bengals draft pick.

Right after the Cincinnati Bengals selected Dax Hill in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, Mel Kiper Jr. called it one of the draft’s top steals, judging him to be perhaps a top-15 talent.

It turns out other teams agree.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently flashed his team’s big board publicly while trying to explain his team’s first-round pick (Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa at No. 24).

Jon Machota of The Athletic broke down that big board, which includes Dax Hill at No. 18 overall.

In terms of safeties, that was only behind Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton (drafted 14th by Baltimore) and Lewis Cine of Georgia (drafted 32nd by Minnesota).

So while the Hill pick might have caught some outside observers off guard, it’s clear at least one other NFL team had high grades on him.

What he brings to the Bengals — and it’s quite a lot — is something they need both right now and long into the future.

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What scouting reports said about Bengals draft pick Daxton Hill

Here’s what experts said about Cincinnati Bengals draft pick Daxton Hill.

The Cincinnati Bengals made Daxton Hill the pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

That pick was a mild surprise, as most mocks tabbed the Bengals as going after an offensive lineman or attacking either cornerback or the need for pass-rushers.

But what makes Hill such an intriguing pick is the fact he can play all over the field. Maybe he doesn’t see snaps at outside corner, but his ability to play both safety spots, nickel and more is something the team will use right away.

Add in some very rare athletic traits that mesh well with the film and it’s safe to say that scouting reports loved Hill.

Bengals draft pick Dax Hill mentioned alongside Charles Woodson

More huge praise for the Bengals draft pick.

The post-draft glow always sounds great for NFL teams and it’s no exception for the Cincinnati Bengals and first-round pick Dax Hill, whose name has now come up alongside Charles Woodson.

In the aftermath of the Bengals making Hill a first-round pick, the amazing reviews have flowed.

And rightfully so, given that he’s a stunningly rare athlete who has a ton of versatility right out of the box. He’ll be a chess piece who rotates in with the starters and provides depth at multiple positions.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler was the one to bring up Woodson:

“The appeal with Hill is his versatility to play anywhere in the secondary. He can attach himself to slot receivers as a nickel, play more of a two-safety look, and he could realistically line up outside with his above-average athleticism. One scout told me that Hill will be the best defensive back out of Michigan since Charles Woodson, and it is hard to disagree.”

That speaks to both Hill’s ability and the quality of prospects coming out of Michigan, in some fashion.

But it is a nod to just how good Hill’s tape looked, which his testing numbers only backed up.

Hill was already going to be one of the most interesting players to watch for the Bengals over the summer. But this, plus the fact we don’t know exactly where he will play and how, only makes him more intriguing.

As an aside, there’s a reason Mel Kiper said Hill was one of the draft’s top steals, too.

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Draft grades for the Cincinnati Bengals and Daxton Hill

Hill and Jessie Bates are going to be a great combo for the Bengals!

The second Wolverine to come off the board during the 2022 NFL draft was former Michigan safety Daxton Hill. The Cincinnati Bengals selected Hill with the 31st pick of the first round.

Hill was mocked as a late first-round pick or an early second-round pick, but one thought everyone shared — Hill is a versatile piece that can be moved around. Hill played safety at Michigan, but he also played some nickel back, and he became a freak off the outside getting to the quarterback or stopping the run.

A popular team the experts had Hill going to was the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills, but the AFC champions really wanted the Swiss Army knife out of Michigan.

There are plenty of draft grades out there for the Bengals, and for the selection of Dax Hill. Here are some of grades we could find talking about the Bengals selecting the former Michigan player.

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Dax Hill reveals jersey number with Bengals

Hint: It’s inspired by some guy named Michael Jordan.

Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill will wear will the No. 23 with his new team.

Hill, who told reporters during his introductory press conference after the Bengals made him the 31st pick, that the decision is — of course — inspired by a guy named Michael Jordan.

The versatile safety also told reporters he prefers to go by “Dax,” so that’s the move.

Hill wore No. 30 in college, but that number happens to belong to star safety Jessie Bates, who is currently about to play under the franchise tag because he doesn’t have a long-term extension.

As we wrote in our deep dive on the Hill pick and grades of the Hill pick though, his selection doesn’t have a major impact on Bates’ future with the team. Bates wearing No. 30, though, does, so 23 it is.

Dax went with 23 because of Jordan.

— Geoff Hobson (@GeoffHobsonCin) April 29, 2022

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WATCH: Highlights of Bengals’ Daxton Hill in college

Bengals first-round pick Daxton Hill has quite the highlight reel worth checking out.

The Cincinnati Bengals used their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft on a versatile safety they hope can have an impact right away.

Said safety is Daxton Hill, an elite, rangy player defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is ready to turn loose in the scheme.

“This guy can cut, he can blitz off the edge and recover good against the run. And he’s good at getting off blocks and things like that. We’re getting a good overall football player,” Anarumo said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “We’re going to let him come in here and then see what the shiny new toy can do. We’re excited about him.”

Rest assured Hill’s highlights offer plenty of proof that he can do these things in a hurry for the defense.