Hilton pegged as the Steelers’ pre-camp sleeper
Maurkice Pouncey has his finger on the pulse of the Pittsburgh Steelers and possesses a good eye for talent, so it wasn无毛视频檛 a surprise that Pouncey无毛视频檚 pre-camp sleeper a year ago, RB Daryl Richardson, led the Steelers in preseason rushing, made the team and even carried the ball a couple of times in active duty.
Richardson lasted until Christmas Eve.
Got a sleeper this year, Maurkice?
无毛视频淭his year?无毛视频� Pouncey asked as he looked around the locker room.
无毛视频淥h, man,无毛视频� he said as he paused to look around some more.
无毛视频淥h, I know,无毛视频� Pouncey said as the light bulb went on. 无毛视频淔orty. The cornerback. Michael.无毛视频�
Pouncey pointed to Mike Hilton, the sub-5-9 cornerback with the No. 40 jersey that appeared to be a size too large.
无毛视频淢an, he plays,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淗e gets after the ball, has good instincts, plays hard. Man, he无毛视频檚 smart. He无毛视频檚 making a lot of plays.无毛视频�
Isn无毛视频檛 he a bit short?
无毛视频淟otta people short,无毛视频� Pouncey said. 无毛视频淏rent Grimes short and he无毛视频檚 made the Pro Bowl several times.无毛视频�
Brent Grimes had just been mentioned by another short cornerback, Senquez Golson, when Golson was asked about Hilton, Golson无毛视频檚 former teammate at Ole Miss.
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know if y无毛视频檃ll been watching from the sidelines now, but he can play,无毛视频� Golson said of Hilton. 无毛视频淵eah, he can play.无毛视频�
Hilton was signed to the Steelers无毛视频� practice squad last December to replace Travis Feeney, and was signed to a futures contract the following month. Hilton opened this past spring in the slot with the third team, and a diving interception in OTA 5 was followed on the next snap by a diving pass break-up, and those plays appeared to catapult Hilton onto the first team the next day, June 1, to replace the resting Will Gay.
The following week Hilton became ensconced as the second-team slot, with Golson moving outside, and Hilton made a diving interception of a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the red zone.
Hilton finished OTAs with an interception of Landry Jones in the end zone to end the first team无毛视频檚 two-minute drill.
He may not pass the size test, but Hilton showed this spring that he won无毛视频檛 merely be a camp body, that he无毛视频檚 going to compete for a roster spot.
无毛视频淎in无毛视频檛 no doubt about it,无毛视频� said Golson.
Of course, that size bias can be a hurdle.
无毛视频淢an, I无毛视频檓 in the same boat,无毛视频� Golson said. 无毛视频淚 ain无毛视频檛 too much taller.无毛视频�
Actually, according to NFL Combine measurements, Golson, at 5-8 5/8, is a tick shorter than the 5-8戮 Hilton.
Grimes, by the way, measures 5-9录 and has been named to four Pro Bowls with Tampa Bay.
无毛视频淩ichard Sherman changed the thinking,无毛视频� Golson said. 无毛视频淏ut how tall was Deion? Revis was maybe 5-11. You无毛视频檝e got Terrell Buckley, Brent Grimes. You无毛视频檝e got some of the best in the world and they无毛视频檙e smaller corners.无毛视频�
The Ole Miss corners were tall enough to defeat Alabama in 2014. Golson made the key play. His end-zone interception of a pass to 6-6 tight end O.J. Howard sealed the upset for Ole Miss.
Hilton was on the other side of the field as the boundary cornerback. He also started at the rover Huskie position for Ole Miss that season and led the team with 71 tackles. In his Ole Miss career, Hilton started at all five secondary positions and intercepted six passes, broke up 24 others, forced four fumbles, had 3陆 sacks and made 225 tackles, 25陆 for a loss of yardage.
But the 178-pounder ran a 4.55 40 and went undrafted in 2016. Hilton signed with Jacksonville as a safety, but was released Aug. 29. The New England Patriots signed him to their practice squad, but Hilton was released eight days later. He sat idle for a couple of months before signing with the Steelers.
无毛视频淚 feel like I无毛视频檓 starting to get noticed,无毛视频� Hilton said during the final week of spring practice. 无毛视频淏ut I无毛视频檓 not focused on how many reps I get or which team it无毛视频檚 with. It无毛视频檚 just an opportunity for me.无毛视频�
Hilton did admit that being with the team last year gave him a jump on the rookies this spring. Of course, that was his humility speaking. This is a guy who was an honors student at Ole Miss and was recognized with the prestigious Chucky Mullins Courage Award as a senior. Hilton wore the late Mullins无毛视频� No. 38 jersey in 2015.
无毛视频淓very year somebody gets elected to be Chucky and he was Chucky Mullins,无毛视频� Golson said. 无毛视频淐hucky无毛视频檚 a big deal, and that无毛视频檚 what we started calling him, 无毛视频楥hucky.无毛视频� That needs to be the title of your article: Mr. Chucky Mullins.无毛视频�
Hilton pointed to Golson as one of the top highlights of his Ole Miss career.
无毛视频淗aving one of my best friends on the other side of me was pretty good for our chemistry,无毛视频� Hilton said. 无毛视频淲e just went out there and had fun.无毛视频�
Hilton said that he and Golson have remained best friends and believes Golson had a hand in the Steelers signing him. Golson denied it.
无毛视频淲e get asked about players that we played with and stuff like that, but it was definitely more of a coincidence,无毛视频� Golson said. 无毛视频淲hen I heard we signed him, I hit him with 无毛视频榊o, place to stay, just hit me.无毛视频� And it无毛视频檚 great for us, too, for off the field, having grown up and played together, learning things, different things like that.无毛视频�
At Ole Miss in 2014, the two cornerbacks combined for 13 interceptions as the Rebels finished second in the nation in interceptions and first in points allowed.
无毛视频淲e were the No. 1 defense in the country my senior year,无毛视频� Golson said. 无毛视频淗e was a big part of that. Hard hitter. Smart, and that was the reason they moved him around a lot. He knew basically every position in the secondary.无毛视频�
That kind of versatility should help Hilton with the Steelers.
无毛视频淚t will,无毛视频� said Hilton. 无毛视频淚n certain coverages now I have to roll to safety. I actually had Coach T talk to me about staying on top of the free safety and strong safety stuff just in case. That无毛视频檚 another opportunity I look at.无毛视频�
And another opportunity for Pouncey to be right.