NFL Draft Profile: Brandon Hill, Safety, Pitt Panthers
Brandon Hill
Pitt Panthers
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Pos: S
Ht: 5100
Wt: 193
Hand: 0948
Arm: 3068
Wing: 7418
40: 4.43
DOB: 5/19/1998
Hometown: Orangeburg, SC
High School: Heathwood Hall Episcopal
Eligibility: 2023
One-Liner:
Brandon Hill is an undersized, versatile safety with good quickness and athleticism to make a play in the run game as well as being capable of covering receivers in zone and man. His production and quality of play dipped from 2021 to 2022, but his potential fits as a rangy safety at the next level and special teams contributor
Evaluation:
Brandon Hill is a rangy, athletic, and undersized safety. He can play in a variety of systems as he is able to play off man, zone, and is effective in the run game. When reviewing Hill’s film from his senior season, he was not nearly as productive and his impact was not nearly as apparent as it was the year prior. In 2021, where he earned 2nd Team All-ACC, he played with physicality on his tackles. Hill is a wild tackler, but it would seem due to him always looking to make a big hit on the ball carrier. He displays solid change of direction flipping his hips quickly to stay on the hip of the receiver in off man coverage. He shows good long speed as well to keep up with opponents 20+ yards down the field. He does a solid job turning his head at the right time on deep throws down the field giving him a chance to play the ball. Hill consistently bites on run fakes which can open up passing lanes for receivers running behind him. In the run game, due to his size and strength Hill cannot reliably shed blocks. In coverage against double moves, he is prone to biting on the in or out, giving the receiver an opportunity to get up the field past him. In Hill’s senior season, there were similar problems and the overall quality of his play dipped. He demonstrated good short area quickness. However, Hill was a below average tackler in space who instead of wrapping up at the ball carrier’s mid thigh to hip range, he would throw his body attempting to catch their legs where he often misses. Instead of making a big play on the runner as he intended, he would often miss, resulting in larger gains and big plays. He also started to take too many false steps and chopped his feet when changing from his backpedal to forward movement on plays in front of him. Hill struggles covering bigger physical receivers who use their bodies to shield him off on short to intermediate routes as he does not have the strength to fit through them to the ball. In addition, he displayed delayed play recognition when in zone coverage on routes ran in front of him as well as overall route concepts on his side of the field. Due to the drop in form from his junior 2021 season, Hill will most likely be drafted in late Day 3.
Grade:
6th Round
Background:
He started all 12 regular-season games at strong safety. He was the team’s second-leading tackler with 67 stops and added two pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He also received Honorable Mention All-ACC. In 2021, he played in all 14 games, starting 13 at strong safety. He totaled 81 tackles, one TFL, six pass breakups, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. He received All-ACC (second team) and was a Paycom Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist. In high school, he was rated the nation’s No. 34 safety prospect by ESPN.
