From the minute the guy was drafted, he has been enthusiastic. Every time he touches the ball he is excited. Hard not to root for the guy.
Stephen Hill is probably going to be a solid 3rd WR in the NFL. He doesn't have good hands and he's not an intuitive route runner. What he does bring to the table is the ability to stretch the field and force the defense to account for him and a workman-like approach to the game that will let him cover for some of the other deficiencies. He's also going to be a physical presence on the perimeter for the Jets.
A solid #3?? He already has 8 for 112 and 3 TDs in 3 1/2 games as an extremely raw rookie. Oh, and he's only 21 years old. You really don't think this 6'4" 215 lb kid can become more than a #3??
I really don't think Stephen Hill is going to be a star in the NFL. I think he's going to be a solid WR in wide sets where the defense is forced to cover him one-on-one. He's going to get better with experience but defenses are also going to get film on him at the same time. He's a decent player if used right. That's as far as I'm willing to go based on what I see out there. A QB like Chad would get more out of him because the passes would come in soft and with good touch on them minimizing his dropsies and hands issues and maximizing his ability to go up and dominate CB's in the air. He's not going to get a lot of throws like that in the NFL though. QB's put the ball on the WR's hands with as much mustard as they can to get it there. The best QB on the Jets right now for Hill would probably be McElroy. They'd get to play catch while the Jets were going 4-12. The thing to remember about young stars is that it is obvious they are stars in the making. When you have a guy who is going to be great about half the time he's already great and the other half there's just no question he's going to get there with a little more experience. It's really rare for a guy to come in and struggle some early on and then become a big star. Mostly the struggles are happening because the guy is over-matched in some way on an NFL field and what he's doing is working really hard to get to competency.
3 games in the NFL (8c, 112y, 3TD) and you have him pegged as a solid number 3?!?! Something tells me the sky would be the limit for him IYO if he was suiting up for any of 31 other teams in the league.
I don't know how you can make a valid argument either way on what we have in S. Hill. He needs to learn to catch with his "hands" by attacking the football, versus letting the ball get into his body. That is coaching, and he is very football young at the WR position. He came from a running school, and didn't not have alot of opportunity to perfect his craft. With his attitude, his measurable, he could be a star, but if he can't catch he won't. It really is as simple as that, imo.
Here's my thought process on Hill in a nutshell, in roughly chronological order: 1. He's not from a passing attack in college. The odds that a star-caliber WR would wind up playing on a run-first option team are really low. Star-caliber WR's know they're stars. They go to schools that will show that off, not suppress it. So the odds are pretty good that Hill is just an average WR based on where he played and the choices he made to get there. 2. He wasn't perceived by the NFL as a potential star until the combine. Hill was kind of a consensus 4th round pick going into the combine, with some people projecting him up a round and some down a round from there. 3. His stock went up when he ran the 40 yard dash and got his height accurately measured. People looked at his measurables and as always happens at the combine some people moved him up based on how he looked in skivvies, forgetting that the more important thing was how he had looked on the field on college. The combine is to move people down. People should rise there based on other people moving down, not based on how good they look running around in shorts. Unfortunately this is not in the current FO's knowledge base and so we pay the price for that over and over again. 4. The Jets don't have much talent on the offensive side of the ball right now. If Hill really had star potential the Jets would be forcing those skills on other teams at this point. Sanchez could really use a dominant WR out there forcing defenses away from the middle of the field and deeper than they'd like to play. The fact that the Jets are getting best use out of Hill in the 3-wide sets really tells us where they think his ability lies. They're not forcing the ball to him and relying on his superior skills and play-making ability to turn that into something. This is most likely because they do no believe he has superior skills and play-making ability. It just kind of is what it is. Hill's going to be a decent asset for the Jets but he's not going to be a game-breaker and probably not even an every down wide-out.
First he's arguing we suck because we can't beat a team with multiple jinxes, and now he's arguing that you already know whether a player is a star or not after watching him play 3 1/2 games in which he has 3 TD's on one of the lowest scoring offenses in the league. This guy is considered the most knowledgeable poster?? Tebow help us... Stephen Hill looks like he has the tools to be a real force. Route running and catching technique are both things that can be taught and improve with time. He is lacking experience, so there will be some bumps along the way, but the fact that Hill already looks this good is very promising for his career.
GT has been good producing stud WR's...well Calvin Johnson, D.Thomas is a good WR...I think we'd be good if Hill can be just Thomas
Demaryius Thomas was an elite caliber HS WR recruited to play in Georgia Tech's previous offense, which was a balanced offense that featured a real passing attack alongside the option. GT switched to the new run-based offense after Thomas arrived and after his first season in the old offense. He was a real WR playing in an offense that passed a lot. Then he was a real WR playing in an offense that ran a lot. There's no way Hill is as good a WR as Thomas was and is. Thomas wouldn't have gone to Georgia Tech if they featured the offense they installed after he got there. Neither would Calvin Johnson.
Jerry Rice went to Mississippi Valley State. TO went to Chattanooga. But you're right, let's write off Stephen Hill because he went to GT. You go where you're going to get an opportunity. It makes no difference once you get to the NFL.
This is such an ignorant statement. You just love being negative lately no matter what it takes to support it. First you talked about jinxes and now apparently Hill has no potential because of what he did in college because of course no one has ever grown and improved while in the NFL.
My thought process on why you're an idiot, in roughly chronological order: 1. Stephen Hill was probably a more highly rated recruit than Demaryius Thomas was coming out of high school... both were 3 star prospects. He had offers from UGA and other good pro style passing schools, but choose Georgia Tech. So because he wasn't a "me first" diva wide receiver only concerned with his stats, he can't develop into more than a #3? If only a player could have talent AND character... 2. Players grow and get better. His development throughout his senior year and leading up to the combine showed his commitment to improving and getting better. Victor Cruz went to UMass and was undrafted. Very often players take time to break out. Demaryius Thomas had 54 catches for 834 yards in his first 2 pro seasons combined. Outside of a very select few, wide receivers take time to develop, even when they've had more experience in college than Stephen Hill had. To say you can already tell Stephen Hill isn't a star just speaks to either a complete lack of understanding, or just good old fashioned darksider jets fan bias. 3. I generally agree that players shouldn't move that much based on the combine, but I think he did more than just show height and speed. He showed improved route running, as well as proving his work ethic, maturity, and character in the time between the end of the college season and the draft. A lot of things go into evaluating prospects, and I'm sure having him jump and run in his skivvies as you say isn't the only reason we drafted him. 4. Obviously Hill is not a dominant receiver yet. The fact that you would expect a raw rookie second round draft pick to dominate opposing defenses after watching our passing attack for the past few years makes no sense. There is no reason to force anything to him yet. Hopefully he will get to the point where we can rely on him making those kind of plays, but you can't expect that already. Considering where we are in the season, and where Hill is in his professional development, Jets fans should be very happy with what they are seeing so far. Hill has been able to get separation on many occasions. He has shown good blocking ability for a rookie. I can't remember any major mental mistakes that have resulted in turnovers, like running the wrong route. He had one bad stretch with a few drops, but I'm willing to cut him a little slack considering the positive plays he has made for this team so far. Again, he is a little raw, a little patience might be warranted. I'm not sure what that 'star' quality you are looking for is, but he has certainly shown me plenty to feel like he was well worth of a middle of the second round pick. He has basically already proven his potential to be a game breaker and every down wide receiver.
We have no idea why Hill decided to go to GT. Frankly I look at him going to a run first offense as a GOOD thing. That means he has alot to learn which increases his ceiling.Additionally he knows how to make the most of his opportunities in a run first offense, as well as how to run block. How anyone can come to the conclussion that long term he isn't at least a very good #2 is just acute pessimism.
This statement is false. Hill was a projected late second early 3rd round pick coming into the combine. His size and speed were available to all on game film and the 28 yards a catch, while in limited reps, was there for all to see. He was always seen as a raw prospect with immense upside. His stock was preceived to go up after the combine with many suggesting he was now a solid first rounder and a possible target for the Jets at 16. In the end he went mid of the second, but this was not a huge jump from the in season reports about him. Stop trying to back up a poor argument with non facts.
