Trey Hill Would Be an Interesting Interior Offensive Line Project for the Chiefs
Trey Hill - IOL, Georgia
By the numbers:
6'3", 319 pounds, 33-5/8" arms per pro day measurements.
2020: Second-team pre-season All-SEC selection. Eight games played.
Positives:
Trey Hill is a versatile interior offensive lineman, having played at guard and center during his time at Georgia. He projects as more of a center at the next level, although he has lost some weight and has decent arm length for a guard. Hill plays with heavy hands and a strong upper body overall. He generates good power when his fundamentals are sound.
Hill offers quite a bit of promise at the point of attack. His grip strength allows him to engage easily and trap opposing defensive tackles. When balanced, he sets a firm anchor and is difficult to move. He keeps his head on a swivel and routinely called out what he saw from the defense in college. Hill plays with a high level of understanding of the game.
Negatives:
Athleticism is not Hill's strong suit. He isn't a great lateral mover and his agility is merely average. He doesn't move particularly well in space, although his recovery speed near the line of scrimmage is adequate. This doesn't completely hold Hill back, but it does likely make him a better center instead of guard. He can certainly pull from the guard spot, but he's heavy-footed.
Leverage is another concern with Hill. He fails to maintain a consistently low pad level and oftentimes finds himself way out ahead of his feet. Instead of anchoring down immediately after the snap, Hill elevates and can get driven back because of it. In order to become an effective every-down player, he needs to refine his initial approach and not have nearly as many off-balance reps.
How Hill fits with the Chiefs:
The future of the Chiefs' interior offensive line is a mixed bag. While the team signed All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to a long-term deal, everything else consists of temporary fixes. Austin Blythe should start at center and the veteran tandem of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Kyle Long will compete at right guard. All three players' contracts expire after this season, so adding a young player with starting potential makes sense. Hill could not only use a year to sit and finish developing, but he'd also have a starting job waiting for him in 2022 — whether it be at guard or center.
Final Thoughts:
Hill is a strong lineman who's a proven player on the interior. He needs to tweak his fundamentals at the line of scrimmage, but those are coachable solutions. With improved balance, he projects favorably as a starting center in the NFL. Hill grades out as an early fourth-round pick who could one day be a pile-pushing, reliable player anchoring down the middle of an offensive line.
Read More: Arrowhead Report's 100 Players in 100 Days: A Kansas City Chiefs Draft Guide.
