Bengals: Why Dax Hill will have ample chances to breakout at safety
No one on the 2022 Cincinnati Bengals had a more successful preseason than first-round pick Dax Hill. The 31st pick in that year's NFL Draft was ultimately selected to replace Jessie Bates III at safety, and the former Michigan Wolverine proved why he was a great investment to make. He provided so much good tape in […]
No one on the 2022 Cincinnati Bengals had a more successful preseason than first-round pick Dax Hill.
The 31st pick in that year's NFL Draft was ultimately selected to replace Jessie Bates III at safety, and the former Michigan Wolverine proved why he was a great investment to make. He provided so much good tape in just two exhibitions that the coaching staff decided to rest him for the final game. That's extremely rare for rookies.
Preseason success didn't translate to regular season playing time last year for Hill, but that will be changing when this September rolls around. And with that comes an increase in competition he'll face.
Expectations are high for Hill as he enters his first year as a starter, and as Pro Football Focus' Jim Wyman writes, the potential breakout candidate for the Bengals will face what looks to be a lethal slate of quarterbacks in the AFC North.
"Going up against quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Kenny Pickett in the AFC North, Hill will likely be tested early and often, giving him plenty of opportunities to show why he was the 31st pick in last year’s draft." – PFF's Jim Wyman
The Bengals having the consensus top-rated quarterback in the division is such an advantage considering the AFC North's overall talent level at that position. Jackson is a former league MVP who typically plays the Bengals extremely tough, and Watson is expected to return to previous form after missing the entire 2021 season and most of 2022.
An improvement for Pickett is also on the table, as the Steelers' second-year quarterback is Wyman's pick to break out across the league.
When people think of the AFC North, defense and the run game usually come to mind first. These tropes will continue to be the backbone of the division's identity, but improved quarterback play made the Bengals a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Their division rivals are looking to follow suit in that regard.
Hill was a pick for the future last year, and that future has arrived. The 22-year old stepping in will keep the Bengals' defense effective against the teams they play the most as they look to take steps forward.
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