UDFA WR Austin Hill's potential is Anquan Boldin

[Pandion Haliaetus]

Workout-Combine HT/WT, Wingspan

Austin Hill: 6021/214, 77 in
An. Boldin: 6005/216, 81 in*

*I couldn't find the actual info but the ol' eye test shows that Boldin has long arms and broad shoulders, so my best guess is in the 78 in at least and 84 in at best range with the median being 81 in.

Although I'd give Boldin the edge, Hill still possesses a very good wingspan in his own right especially since he is a tall but strong 215.

Both players had similar games coming out of college:

Austin Hill's Scouting Report per NFL.com

Strengths
Big and physical. Plays to his size. Runs with attitude after the catch and can take weaker cornerbacks for a ride. Puts defenders on his hip and uses his body to shield them. Good chance lateral quickness improves as he continues to trust his recovery from injury. Dedicated weight-room worker. Possesses strong hands and catching the ball comes easily for him. Effective blocker who can help spring big runs. His 2012 film shows very effective play from the slot.

Weaknesses
Suffered ACL injury that knocked him out for all of 2013. Is noticeably slower since his injury. Still hasn't recovered to his pre-injury form. Personnel men question his vertical speed. Has to gear down to get into his breaks and is inconsistent at getting separation at the top of his route. Lacks suddenness and can be robotic as a route-runner.

Bottom Line
Based on the tape, it's hard to imagine Hill will be able to run a time that will make scouts happy. However, he's a tough blocker and a reliable, big target who can block in the running game. Hill's medicals will be scrutinized, but if healthy, he could use his big frame to muscle smaller slot corners.

Anquan Boldin per Fox sports.com

Boldin was signed as a quarterback at Florida State, but switched to wide receiver his freshman year. Because he has only played the position for four years he is still a little raw. He is an excellent athlete with good size and speed. He tore his ACL in his left knee before the 2001 season but came back this year and had a solid year. He has good hands and can make some spectacular catches. He does a good job of catching passes on the run and getting up field in a hurry. On the downside, he tends to try and run before he catches the pass, so he needs to concentrate a little more. Boldin will extend his hands and catch the ball away from his body. He is an elusive runner and can start and stop in a heartbeat. He is getting better at reading coverages and finding the soft spots of zone coverages. He does a good job of coming out of his breaks and getting separation from the defensive backs. Where he needs to get better and can, is getting off the line of scrimmage. Boldin has good size and uses it to his advantage in blocking. He doesn't have great techniques but is willing to do it. Boldin is a good receiver but is such a great athlete and has so much more to learn, he is worth taking a chance on at some point in the draft. He is getting stronger and faster as he distances himself from the surgery.

Note that both players suffered ACL injuries two years prior to thier draft year.

Lets gander at a blind comparison of athletic traits per NFL Draft Scout:

Player A:

10 YS: 1.62s
20 YS: 2.72s
40 YD: 4.59s
VJmp: 36.5 in
BJmp: 10'01"
5-10-5: 4.11s
3Cone: 6.72s

Player B

10 YS: 1.61s (+.01s)
20 YS: 2.77s (-.05s)
40 YD: 4.71s (-.12s)
VJmp: 33.5 in (-3 in)
BJmp: 09'06" (-7in)
5-10-5: 4.33s (-.22s)
3Cone: 7.35s (-.63s)

By reading the above scouting reports one could assume player A is Anquan Boldin with strong references to athleticism and suddeness that matches the numbers.

And player B is Austin Hill.

But that elite 6.72s 3-Cone at 215 pounds belongs to Hill. For a player still regaining athletic form, Hill put up quality results. Obviously Hill's long speed is lacking at 4.59s but Boldin didn't make a name for himself by being a downfield threat, he did it by dominating the middle of the field as a possession WR. Tools of which Hill possesses.

In one last comparison, we'll take a look at college production.

Austin Hill, Arizona

151 catches, 2310 yards, 15.3 avg, 17 TDs

Anquan Boldin, Florida ST.

118 catches, 1790 yards, 15.2 avg, 21 TDs

Keep in mind that Boldin was more productive after his injury, while Hill was more productive before his injury.

So where does Austin Hill fit on the team?

Right now my player locks at the position barring injury are:

1. Doug Baldwin
2. Tyler Lockett
3. Jermaine Kearse

You can argue Kearse's security but I don't think the Seahawks will risk alienating Wilson with inexperienced and unproven WRs.

Kearse is one of only three WO/TE recievers that have three years of familarity with Russ, the others being Baldwin and Helfet.

So, the WR group Hill is competing with for the last 3 spots assuming Seahawks keep 6 will be:

6'5, 220 Chris Mathews
6'2, 210 Ricardo Lockette
6'2, 200 Kevin Norwood
6'3, 200 Douglas McNiel
6'0, 220 Kevin Smith

I'm going to also assume the 4th spot goes to Mathews.

Leaving Lockette, Norwood, Hill, McNiel, and Smith battling for the final two spots.

The Seahawks can also medical red shirt Hill And allow him to fully recover from his injury under the direction of NFL professional doctors and trainers. By then Richardson would return, while Kearse and Lockette more than likely not returning leaving a future corps possibility of:

Baldwin
Lockett
Richardson
Matthews
Norwood
Hill

Which has the potential to be a great group especially if Hill makes his best impression to mimic his potential to an Anquan Boldin style WR.

 

[kearly]

Watching him on youtube, pre-injury, he looked a lot like Michael Floyd to me. Great route runner, similar size, good hands, could make really tough catches. Polished yet tough.

Now that he's lost some speed, I guess Anquan Boldin or Alshon Jeffery is what we might hope for as a high end projection.

 

[seabowl]

No disrespect here but Anquan Boldin? He will be very very lucky to even make the roster. I would be happy if he gets Baldwin production at this point not Boldin.

 

[Hawkfan77]

Before his injury I thought Hill was the best WR in the conference. I was actually very surprised he didn't go drafted and was very excited we signed him. Not everyone these days fully heals from an ACL tear within a year. He was on his way to be being a round 1-2 guy before he got hurt. Very excited about what he could possibly be in the offense if he can get his knee right and become the player was.

 

[ImTheScientist]

No disrespect here but Anquan Boldin? He will be very very lucky to even make the roster. I would be happy if he gets Baldwin production at this point not Boldin.

I agree.... He wasn't drafted for a reason. He will end up waiver wire fodder. A Bryan Walters comp would be more accurate as he will likely be cut 5+ times from teams. Dude would be lucky to even collect the number of NFL paycheck a Walters has so maybe I'm being generous in my comp.

 

[Hawkfan77]

No disrespect here but Anquan Boldin? He will be very very lucky to even make the roster. I would be happy if he gets Baldwin production at this point not Boldin.

I agree.... He wasn't drafted for a reason. He will end up waiver wire fodder. A Bryan Walters comp would be more accurate as he will likely be cut 5+ times from teams. Dude would be lucky to even collect the number of NFL paycheck a Walters has so maybe I'm being generous in my comp.

You should let the Hawks know that they're wasting their time with UDFA then. I mean these guys weren't drafted for a reason so obviously they have no chance to make a team or even play in league...

 

[Seahawkfan80]

Would like one more bit of information if I may, Quarterbacks for the colleges they went to. It is telling in who passed to them whether they had to stretch or reach for the ball or if it was feathered into their hands. (FSU feathers on their spear, seahawks feathers on their uniform????) he he he

Thanks for the writeup and Go Hawks.

 

[pmedic920]

Pandion, thanks for the quality post.
Thank God our FO doesn't take take a "scientific" approach to what they do. :{)

 

[Seafan]

He's likely a practice squader at best this season. That would give him some time to recover.

Looking forward to seeing all these young guys in preseason.

 

[jammerhawk]

I'd bet he winds up as a medical redshirt, it depends on severity of the knee injury in terms of recovery time. He's worth a shot at trying out when completely healthy. He looks to be a solid receiver and played well for AZ throughout college and plucks the ball using his body well. His speed is is only real limiting factor, if he gets his pre injury speed back he could be an interesting addition. If he has keep able talent watch the team make their mind up on him with an IR or waived injured designation if they think he still needs recovery time on IR.

The team likely had a draftable grade on him but chose a player at a higher positional need. Easy to write off some of these players when they aren't necessarily completely healthy.

Nice to see all the bigger guys the team has here now looking to compete for a job, adding Hill to this pile (Lockette, Norwood, Matthews, McNeil, Smith) will make for an interesting competition for a job or two. Maybe the winner(s) will become the team's big WR?

 

[McGruff]

Austin Hill injured his knee in April of 2013, over 2 years ago. Unless they botched the surgery, he is has recovered as he is ever going to be. I don't see a "redshirt" injury year for him. He either makes the team on merit, or he ends up on a practice squad somewhere.

But yeah, that 2012 season was promising, and 2014 wasn't horrible either.

 

[titan3131]

im praying for him to pull through and be the next ADB UDFA breakout star

 

[SeaToTheHawks]

Ugh. These kind of comparisons are so stupid. You can't just look at raw numbers and compare players. Soooo much more than that goes into what makes a player. Which is why the combine is kind of stupid, and GMs that draft off of combine numbers end up jobless.

 

[Missing_Clink]

Great post, very interesting. The thing about Boldin is that he just so goddamn tough. One of the most physical WRs out there, and a devastating blocker. Can Hill come anywhere near Boldin's physicality?

 

[jdemps]

Thanks for the breakdown, PH!

Your comparison has merit, but he seems like too much of a Norwood clone to have a chance to find a role on this roster. He's a little heavier and slower, but they're both in the mold of the over-the-middle possession receiver. Maybe the fact that he's considerably younger and the tiniest bit cheaper will give him a shot, but I'd be a little surprised if he made the roster.

Then again, if the kid really balls out, credit where credit is due.

 

[Hawks46]

Before his injury I thought Hill was the best WR in the conference. I was actually very surprised he didn't go drafted and was very excited we signed him. Not everyone these days fully heals from an ACL tear within a year. He was on his way to be being a round 1-2 guy before he got hurt. Very excited about what he could possibly be in the offense if he can get his knee right and become the player was.

This is what it sounds like to me. He sounds like a guy that hasn't fully recovered, and is still gaining confidence in that knee. When he has to dial it down at the top of his route or going into a break, that shows lack of confidence in the lateral strength of that knee. Also, he's a bigger guy, so you have to have more strength to make that knee right, and sometimes it takes longer.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

I didn't annoint Hill as the next Anquan Boldin, I just said Hill's potential is an Anquan Boldin WR.

Both have similar: size, athleticism, injuries in college, production in college, and share many of the same strengths as WR.

Big, physical, tough WRs who play to thier size and can box out defenders and use thier wingspan and strong hands to snatch ball out of the air. Both have the ability to play inside or out but can really dominate the middle of the field as a big slot WR. Both are willing and effective blockers. And with the ball in thier hands, both have the ability to bully smaller DBs for extra yards.


I'm not saying he's Aquan Boldin, I just see a lot of similarities in thier game where I feel Hill's potential is a Boldinesque WR.

Spare me the UDFA BS, that is one of the most dumbest arguments a person can make. Writing off a player because he was a UDFA. UDFAs make the team every year: All 5 of Seattle's active WRs in the SB were UDFAs. The guy that intercepted the ball at the goal line in that game was an UDFA.

Its not like the backend of the WR corps is brimming with Must Keep talent, Hill will have every opportunity to come in here and compete. If he's recovered and able to return to his best form and put it on the field consistently, there's a great chance that he's going to make the team with his talent.

If he's not recovered, I can see the Seahawks stashing him on I.R. for a season and let him get right with NFL doctors and trainers plus strength and conditioning coaches.

 

[Basis4day]

He was not on the rookie minicamp roster given to reporters today. Beat reporters looking into it.

 

[Threedee]

I've been a Matthews fan boy since we brought him in to camp last year. I got excited when we brought him in shortly before the Jets game, and kept asking the TV where he was every week. And then the onside recovery happened, and I jumped off the couch yelling, "There he is! I told you!!"

Knowing that Hill was once highly touted means I might make him my UDFA receiver, this year.

In 2013 I was a Stephen Williams fan boy, but he lost out to Kearse.

 

[Basis4day]

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