2022 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch: Ohio State vs. Michigan
Michigan S Daxton Hill
Daxton Hill is likely the third best prospect on this Michigan defense behind pass rushers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. Notre Dame’s Kyle Hamilton is the best safety in the 2022 NFL Draft class, but Daxton Hill is almost certainly in the top three safeties of said draft class. After some further examination, it’s easy to see why.
Hill was a 5-star recruit out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he played at Booker T. Washington High School. He has good bloodlines as his older brother is former Oklahoma State standout running back and current Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill. Daxton Hill played in the 2019 U.S. Army All-American Game, representing the best high school players in the country. Virtually everyone wanted the future Michigan safety, including Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, and Oregon. Hill originally committed to Michigan, flipped to Alabama, and then flipped back to Michigan.
Physically, there aren’t many players like Daxton Hill in this draft class. He’s 6’0” 192 pounds, ran a 4.3 40-yard dash and his vertical leap was measured at an NBA-caliber 43 inches. Hill even posted the highest SPARQ rating in the 2019 high school class, which is a score created by Nike to measure athleticism. It’s an acronym that stands for speed, power, agility, reaction, and quickness and utilizes four tests (40-yard dash, short shuttle, bench press, and vertical jump) to create the score.
But Daxton Hill is more than a combine freak. He has shown flashes of elite functional football skills at the safety position. Much of that is related to his speed. Hill can close exceptionally quickly both when the ball is in the air and when he’s running up to make the tackle. He plays fast and uses his otherworldly athletic ability well. He’s shown that he can come up and consistently bring down ball carriers while blitzing and in run support. Additionally, his length and technique in both man and zone coverage have impressed 2022 NFL Draft scouts. Hill’s incredible athletic ability could lead to him being selected in the first or second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.