I'm hoping that Morningwood can use him in the Desean Jackson role ... picking up big chunks of yards downfield.
You can't teach 6'4, 4.3 speed, 40"+ vertical. He came raw from GT. 1st Year: 21 receptions, 252 yards, 3 TDs Also from Georgia Tech is Demaryius Thomas. His stats: 1st Year: 22 receptions, 283 yards, 2 TDs 2nd Year: 32 receptions, 551 yards, 4 TDs 3rd Year: 94 receptions, 1,434 yards, 10 TDs (Pro Bowl) Yes, he did have Peyton in his third year, but i imagine we will have a competent QB by the time Hill is in his 3rd/4th year. Bottom line, quit worrying about Hill, his full time job is now football, and he's going to be a stud.
Its tough to judge WR in year 1, sometimes not even in year 2. He had 47 targets this year. I'd like to see that figure double. He should improve his route running this year regardless that there is a new system. Routes are routes. I saw one site that said he had 5 drops, while not great with 47 targets its still a lot less than I thought, the eye test made me thing he had 12-15 drops. Lets see him make progress and be productive under the guidance of Braylon. What is more concerning to me is that 17 of his 21 catches were at home.. the guy was a no show on the road. That has to change, they can't have a one dimensional offense on the road.
Curious, Other than blind faith - what makes you think he'll take a "major leap forward"? I see a guy who struggled more as the season went on, that is extremely raw and playing in a new system - one that doesn't necessarily play to his strengths... I would be extremely surprised if he takes a "major step forward".. I honestly think it's more likely with a new coordinator that he gets buried on the depth chart, especially if this team picks up some recievers with some experience in a Morningweg-type offense. This is not necessarily a bad thing either, burying him on the depth chart until he develops - as he was hurting this football team last season..
No way he will have 48 receptions with 60 targets. That percentage would lead the league. I'd like 48 receptions but realistically he'll need nearly 100 targets to get that many receptions.
He showed flashes, people forget he was a raw rookie. His first game scoring 2 TDs, getting downfield raised expectations but he wasn't ready for that. he has size and speed, his hands are a work in progress. remember how Braylon struggled w/ drops in '09 then I'm not sure he dropped a pass in 2010. Taking a major leap doean't mean 70-80 balls, a major leap for him could be 40 or 50 balls, averaging 15+ per rec. part of it is faith but I loved the pick at the time, he showed us flashes of what he can do. A full year in an offseason program, a full year as a pro and I expetc he'll greatly improve.
Although I believe that Hill has the ability to be a part of the upper echelon of receivers in the NFL, I want to see consistency from him. Even though he was raw last year, the injuries and the performance overall was underwhelming except for the first game. If he can make the leap that Kerley made this year I will be more than happy.
Braylon was a vastly more accomplished reciever coming into the NFL than Stephen Hill is. Braylon struggled catching the football too, but not just in 09 with a quick recovery... he struggled for the better part of 5 seasons before recovering - and he was much more developed at his craft. The only flashes he showed were those in the first game against an atrocious Buffalo Defense... (first half of the season they were setting records for their futility)... after that he didn't show any flashes and actually hurt this team until he got hurt and they couldn't dress him anymore. He got worse as the season went on. He doesn't have 40-50 catches in him next season - that would be a huge shock. If Idzik is smart he won't let the fact that Stephen Hill was a high second rounder factor in his decision making this offseason. He didn't draft him - and The WR core is weak and needs better players. I'd acquire them and if Hill can figure out how to catch a football maybe he becomes a factor. But I wouldn't count on it, I wouldn't account FOR it, and I wouldn't let him change any decisions this offseason.
Obviously he was but the point is he was bashed and bashed for his hands, he worked on it and was great in 2010. I don't think he can count on anything other than Rex being a great defensive mind. If we can upgrdae the WR corps I'm sure he will but we have many needs and not a lot of cap room, we can improve the WR corps by re-signing Braylon, working w/ Hill and drafting another guy. When healthy this is a decent WR corps unlike what we had most of last year.
He has the physical tools (size, speed) but definitely needs to continue to work on his route running and his hands. With year 2 we should see improvement over year 1
It may just be me, but Demaryius Thomas looks like a football player... He doesnt just look like a guy that can run in a straight line (like Hill). He needs to fill into his body and work on his hands and route running. Right now he's a #4 WR. Hopefully he proves otherwise.
His body is not the problem. He's built like Randy Moss. While his vertical speed is his greatest strength with his size and vertical he should be able to go over the middle and be a nice red zone target.
i hope he has worked hard in the offseason and will improve for next year. he is too talented to not be a decent player. i thought he showed some flashes too but also showed some absolutely terrible drops.
try giving him a qb who can accurately hit a moving target, like mcelroy or matt moore instead of suckchise. hmy:
If he's 100%, I think we can expect a receiver who can make the big play down the field, but will still have frustrating drops. I don't think he's going to be dominating corners, but I think he can have one or two big games and consistently take some coverage off of Kerely and Holmes.
Hill has concentration issues. He is a natural hands catcher and if you look at his drops, you can se him turning his head or letting the ball get to deep. Those are coaching points that he should improve on with a full offseason. 35 catches, 400-600 yards, 6 TDs
