One of the NFL Combine stars who is shooting up draft boards is Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill. After running a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash, Hill opened a lot of eyes despite playing in an offense where he only caught 28 passes last season. Hill had teams flocking to his Pro Day earlier this week, including our own Lovie Smith, who lunched with Hill.
Hill has drawn comparisons to another former Yellow Jacket wide receiver with freakish size who ran well leading up to the draft, Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. Check out this snippet from Johnson’s scouting report in 2007:
"Start with Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech. If Randy Moss is called The Freak, Johnson should be called Super Freak. Surprise filled the media room at the Indianapolis scouting combine Friday when Johnson revealed that he recorded 239 pounds at his combine weigh-in, about 12 pounds more than anyone expected. Minds flashed to Mike Williams’ failures with the Lions.Then, Johnson said he would wait until his March 15 workout at Georgia Tech to let everyone see his speed. Toying with the minds of scouts and the laws of reality, Johnson changed his mind. He borrowed a pair of running shoes and ran the 40-yard dash in an incredible 4.35 seconds on Sunday. Because Johnson is 6-foot-5 and 239 pounds, cornerbacks around the NFL must have cringed when they heard that."
Johnson was chosen with the 2nd overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Lions and the rest is history. Now back to Hill.
He’s got all the measurables to be a #1 wide receiver at 6’4″ and 215 pounds with the aforementioned track speed. The questions about Hill relate to his production on the field. He played in a run-heavy option offense which limited his production on the field. But even with limited opportunities, he still put together an impressive highlight reel:
I like the option for the Bears taking Hill if and only if they go get a top tier free agent wide receiver to pair with Hill. He’s a raw prospect who has the upside to become a freak WR in the NFL, but it will take time for him to be a consistent contributor. Who knows, maybe the Bears could trade down a few spots and still nab him late in the first round? The latest mock drafts I’ve seen show him going to the 49ers at #30. If Michael Floyd is off the board, don’t be surprised if the Bears fall back to Hill as a Plan B in the upcoming draft.