Folks, I'm excited about the New England Patriots signing CB Troy Hill, and probably more than I should be. Hill was undrafted out of college, but signed with the Bengals. His surname is probably the greatest of all time, in my opinion. So who is he and why do I think he's a steal?
Let's look at 7th round pick Darryl Roberts, who is currently on the injured reserve. Roberts was expected to start across from Malcolm Butler before his injury, and he showed fantastic ball skills throughout the entire offseason. While he came out of a small school in Marshall, he was still well regarded as the 4th biggest steal of the draft by Pro Football Focus.
I was stoked about the Patriots selection of Roberts. I liked Troy Hill even more.
Hill was rated as a top five cornerback in the draft, was a stout tackler, and was always in position to deter passes in an offensively explosive conference.
The 5'10, 180 lbs Oregon graduate ran a 6.65 three cone at his Pro Day, along with a fantastic 10'2 broad jump and a 34" vertical. Hill was undrafted partially because he ran an unimpressive 4.55 40 yard dash, but mostly because of a domestic violence charge.
Hill pleaded guilty to "menacing" after punching a wall in a dispute with his girlfriend. He has since gone through anger management and is on probation for one more year. If he has grown from his errors and education, then he offers the Patriots some fantastic depth at cornerback.
The Bengals waived Hill because Cincinnati needed a veteran presence in their secondary.
The 24-year-old Hill joins Malcolm Butler (25), Leonard Johnson (25), Logan Ryan (24), and Justin Coleman (22) as the Patriots youth revolution at cornerback, while Darryl Roberts (25) is set to return next season. New England is set to dominate at the position for the foreseeable future.