Pick No. 87
JORDAN HILL
Defensive Tackle, Penn State
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 303
The Seahawks don’t have a ton of needs, but Seahawks GM John Schneider admitted that defensive tackle depth was one of them, and he and Pete Carroll are excited about what Hill can bring to the defense.
Hill isn’t so much a replacement for Alan Branch, a two-year starter who left in free agency, as he is a player who can help the Seahawks do something new on their line. Carroll said Hill will start out rotating in the 3-technique role, but added they’re still figuring out exactly how they’ll use him.
“He’s different than the guys that we’ve had, and we like that,” Carroll said. “We need more activity inside to elevate our pass rush, and this is the kind of guy, as we move him around, that we think we can get some good stuff out of him.”
Hill figures to play more in passing downs early on, but both he and Carroll think he can be a run-stopping tackle as well.
“I’m a versatile player,” said Hill, a first-team All-Big Ten selection last year. “I’m not only a guy that can pass rush, but I also can stop the run. I’m a guy that plays with a high motor. I just want to get after it each and every play. I just love playing football and I love to compete.”
Hill started all 12 games as a senior and had a career-best 69 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.
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