Getty Daxton Hill celebrates with a Michigan teammate.
The Detroit Lions have plenty of major needs for the 2022 season, and high on the list are multiple spots on the defensive side of the football.
From the front line to linebacker to the back end, the Lions have the need for multiple different players to come into the mix and make a difference. Safety feels like a spot where there could be a lot more in-flux given the amount of free agents the team has on the roster and the changes that could be coming for the squad in the near future.
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As the NFL combine gets going this week in Indianapolis, the Lions have no shortage of players to watch or situations to monitor. But who is the most important player that the team should be watching relative to their needs in the minds of the media? ESPN whittled down the answer to one specific player, and he plays close to home for Detroit.
In a piece previewing the NFL combine, ESPN took a look at several storylines to watch for the event for every team. Specifically though, they looked at players who could be the most important to watch during the event over the weekend. The pick for writer Jordan Reid was Michigan’s Daxton Hill, a safety.
As Reid explains, “Hill was primarily used in the slot at Michigan, but he has the potential to wear more hats in the secondary.” That ability to wear more hats could pay dividends for a team like Detroit, who could use Hill in plenty of roles on their back end.
Hill will be on the field for Lions fans to watch on Sunday with the defensive backs, and the hope for Detroit is he shows out.
Hill’s College Stats & Highlights
While at Michigan, it could have been easy for folks to overlook Hill simply because of the fact that he was a player on a defense that had a ton of star power. Even though that was the case, Hill stood out for his play and his production on the field in a big way most of the time. He has collected 149 tackles and 4 interceptions to go with 15 passes defended and 3 fumble recoveries.
Here’s a look at what Hill did in college:
Hill was a very productive player that has shown he can show up and play a key role in the NFL for a team. Many think that he could be a second-round or third-round pick.
Lions Secondary Likely to See Major Offseason Change
Why would Hill be a fit for the Lions? Detroit’s secondary struggled at times in 2021, but was one of the groups to improve as the season pressed on in a big way. After losing Jeff Okudah in the first game of the year and losing other key players such as Jerry Jacobs and Amani Oruwariye, the Lions still improved significantly most of the year. Oruwariye was a weapon intercepting the ball, and has become a player to watch for the team moving forward given how good he has been.
At safety, where Hill plays, the Lions have even more potential issues. Tracy Walker had a career year with 108 tackles, but both he and Dean Marlowe are free agents. Will Harris played up and down as well, meaning the Lions could elect to start over at the position with a player like Marcus Williams, who is truthfully one of the league’s elite.
Depending on what happens, Hill could be a player the Lions look at in the 2022 NFL draft.
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