Michigan football DB Daxton Hill opts for 2022 NFL Draft
Michigan Wolverines football defensive back Daxton Hill will leave two years of remaining eligibility on the table and declare for the 2022 NFL Draft, he announced in an Instagram post, with the caption: “Thank you, Michigan fans.”
Hill had a big impact at Michigan ever since arriving in the 2019 season. He played as a backup and in a nickel role as a freshman, before starting at safety in all six games during the 2020 campaign. He started all 14 games in 2021, racking up 69 tackles (second on team), 4.5 stops for loss, a half-sack, two interceptions, four quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery.
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The Tulsa, Okla., native primarily played nickel for the Maize and Blue this past season, though he roamed around the Mike Macdonald-coordinated defense and saw snaps at both safety and corner as well.
Hill posted a 75.9 overall grade on Pro Football Focus (PFF), which slotted sixth among Michigan’s starters on defense. He registered eight pressures on 32 pass-rushing snaps, and yielded 48 receptions for 456 yards and one touchdown on 68 targets in coverage.
He was one of the most key pieces on a Michigan defense that ranked allowed just 17.4 points per game, which ranked eighth in America, and a team that won the program’s first Big Ten title since 2004.
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All told during his career, Hill started 22 of his 33 games, and notched 151 tackles, 7.5 stops for loss, 20 pass breakups and three interceptions.
While he contemplated his decision and considered a return to Michigan, Hill is projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick, most recently by CBS Sports analyst Ryan Wilson, who had Hill at No. 23 overall in his latest mock draft.
“Hill is part of a Wolverines defense that could end up seeing three players go in round one next spring,” Wilson wrote. “He’s underrated nationally but watch him play and it becomes clear pretty quickly that he’s in the running for one of the best defensive backs in this class. He’s listed as a safety but he can line up anywhere.”
Hill joins defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, outside linebacker David Ojabo, wide receiver Daylen Baldwin, defensive tackle Christopher Hinton and running back Hassan Haskins as Michigan players to leave eligibility on the table and opt for the NFL.
The Wolverines have also seen five players transfer out of the program since the end of the season.
Watch for more Michigan roster movement in the hours and days to come at TheWolverine.com.
