Daxton Hill

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 ...

“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.

The Michigan defensive back fits the versatility and personality type Zac Taylor and Lou Anarumo seek.

“With a lot of the team leaders on the team, that’s one thing that’s always excited me the last couple years is that they always want to reach out to these new players and welcome them to the team. This brings you to the one final theme of the weekend that helped put Hill over the top. When the deadline passed with him being tagged and a statement from Katie Blackburn not mentioning anything beyond excitement for this season, it felt like a signal of this being one last year in Cincinnati. Sure, the Bengals can still make a long-term deal with Bates by the July 15 deadline, but they now have the safety of the future in-house. He kind of fits that bill to a T. We’ve used a bunch of three-safety packages in the past, and we’re looking forward to doing a bunch of different things for them.” “We’re going to chase around two of the toughest quarterbacks in the league this year four times. Bates is destined to play this year out on the tag and then hit the open market to make a boatload of cash elsewhere in 2023. Defenses must be able to counter the elite passing games scattered across the AFC and even in the AFC North in particular. Daxton Hill was drafted with pick 31 of round 1 in the 2022 draft class. “For sure, being a hybrid player throughout my entire career,” Hill said of the positional goal for his career. Beyond that, he steps in as the third safety in sub-packages. Only two defensive backs are signed beyond next season: Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton. Hill will serve as the immediate backup this year for Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell and Mike Hilton. All three of those spots were without comfortable backup options before Thursday.

CINCINNATI — The Bengals selected Michigan safety Daxton Hill with the first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old is an athletic, tough, physical player ...

He's ready to do whatever it takes to help the Bengals' defense. "I don’t want to limit myself to one position. “I would consider myself both," Hill said when asked if he was a corner or a safety.

The Cincinnati Bengals' draft got underway at pick No. 31 and the player joining the reigning AFC champions is Daxton Hill out of Michigan.

The Bengals need good tacklers and Hill is just that, notching 69 total tackles for the Wolverines during a 14-game stint in 2021. While safety isn’t necessarily a need for this year, this pick is all about what could happen in the not-so-distant future. Hill is someone who can step into the Bengals’ defense and be used in a multitude of ways, which is a nice skill to have.

Former Michigan football safety Daxton Hill was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals, he was taken in the first round but not as high as you might think.

Hill came to Michigan with a lot of hype as 5-stars do, but he surpassed that and more. Hill will likely travel back to his original safety spot, but he can also stand out in the slot corner role. The former No. 1 overall safety and five-star recruit of out Tulsa, Oklahoma, lived up to the hype and deserved to be drafted high and maybe even higher.

Michigan safety Daxton Hill was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round (pick No. 31) of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Hill is great fit for a ...

and he was the best available on the board according to analyst for the last 25 minutes— MikeDardisWLWT (@MikeDardisWLWT) @WLWT April 29, 2022 The Bengals take Daxton Hill a kid out of the University of Michigan… He can play cornerback or safety… Daxton Hill was drafted with pick 31 of round 1 in the 2022 draft class. Hill will likely roam all over the field like he did at Michigan and be utilized at nickel and safety. Great get for the @Bengals. Him and Jessie Bates has me aroused. Hill is great fit for a Bengals defense that needs to shore up some issues in its secondary.

Former Michigan safety Daxton Hill is now playing for a team that just appeared in a Super Bowl — the Cincinnati Bengals. Hill was selected at the tail end ...

“And I feel like me coming in day one can definitely show that I can do great things for the defense and for the team.” “We’re going to chase around two of the toughest quarterbacks in the league this year four times. I thought he was one of the best 13, 14 players in this draft. Hill was used all over the field at Michigan and there’s no doubt his versatility will serve him well as a pro. We’re really, really fired up to get him in the building.” The Bengals didn’t expect Hill to still be on the board.

The 21-year-old is considered one of the best defensive playmakers in this class. Watch video of head coach Zac Taylor telling Hill the news below.

Hill, who was selected No. 31 overall, played multiple positions in the Wolverines' secondary.

“We’re going to chase around two of the toughest quarterbacks (Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson) in the league this year four times. “When you look at offenses these days and the way tight ends are utilized, and how the running backs come out of the backfield, just different things -- this guy can cut, he can blitz off the edge and recover good against the run,” Anarumo said. “We just added a really good player to the room that’s going to help us on defense and helps us get back to where we want to go (the Super Bowl),” Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor told reporters after the selection. “His measurables are great, if you look at what he ran and all of those different things,” Anarumo said. We’re getting a good overall football player.” “The guys on the team understand we’re just trying to win football games and add any piece that can do it.

Michigan has now had multiple first-round NFL Draft picks on 10 different occasions, including three times under Jim Harbaugh. On Thursday, Aidan Hutchinson (No ...

The more DBs you have, the better and I'll say it again: his versatility and flexibility — Dax that is — just creates more potential good matchups for us. A lot of times these days is the perimeter screens that the safeties and the nickel positions have to handle. That certainly is a part of their job but it's more of the perimeter game. Anarumo: We’ll kind of see where he's at when we get him, but they did move him around a bunch, which is great to see. It's 18 minutes, but in those 18 minutes, he was impressive enough to make a point. If you're giving a guy a plus for just presence in the room, that’s one thing you take away from that interview. He's really shown a great knack of beating blocks and getting guys on the ground, so it's not just always fitting in the A or the B gap with the safeties. That was the first interaction I had with him and then over the course the time, those guys meet with the position coach over time. So he brings a wide variety of skills that we think can help in that area for sure. Certainly talked about things internally, but I think — if Lou’s got anything to add on that, but just get him in the building and see where we go from there. So then you get a sense people need them, they're probably gonna come get them and that's what started happening. Anarumo: You know, we’re going to chase around two of the toughest quarterbacks in the league this year — four times.

As is tradition, immediately before selecting Daxton Hill with the 31st overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach, Zac Taylor, gave him a call to let ...

In short, there is no way this was the Bengals making a pick out of desperation. I’m excited for the opportunity. When Taylor gave him the good news, Hill’s response was:

The Cincinnati Bengals welcomed Daxton Hill as their first-round pick in the NFL Draft last night, and Twitter users are celebrating.

Many people have had a lot to say about Hill, and most have been positive statements. Hill is recognized for his versatility on the field with a little bit of humor. Many positive sentiments were expressed, and Hill is already highly supported as an official Bengal.

On the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Michigan safety Daxton Hill with the 31st overall pick.