Mike Hilton emerged as one of many prime nickel defenders within the NFL and now has Marlon Humphrey finding out him. Whereas Hilton nonetheless searches for his subsequent crew, having already performed for the Steelers and Bengals, he’s now not directly educating a Raven the best way to do what he did. This previous week, Humphrey talked about adjusting to the slot and introduced up the previous AFC North presence.
“I’ve taken notes from lots of totally different guys throughout the league which have lots of success blitzing, [such as] Mike Hilton and, clearly, Kyle Hamilton, a few of these guys that present lots of simply totally different finesse and alternative ways to get in there,” Humphrey mentioned, by way of the Ravens’ web site. Hamilton, in fact, is his teammate in Baltimore.
Mike Hilton spent 4 years with the Steelers, first signing with Jacksonville as a rookie free agent. By the beginning of the 2017 season, he shortly earned the beginning nickel job. Over 4 seasons in Pittsburgh, he recorded 30 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 7 interceptions and three pressured fumbles. Humphrey then watched him signal with the Bengals in free company.
Over the previous 4 seasons, Hilton has been equally productive in most areas, minus one. Whereas he recorded 36 tackles for loss and 6 interceptions, he registered solely two sacks. His play declining, he stays unsigned at age 31 this offseason.
However over the higher a part of a decade, he confirmed NFL defensive backs what you are able to do within the slot. The Steelers have tried to duplicate the success that they had with Mike Hilton earlier than they let him go. They’ve discovered solely restricted success, however could also be eager for Beanie Bishop Jr., their newest Mike Hilton Lite.
Marlon Humphrey has the scale to play outdoors, however he has embraced slot assignments for the nice of the crew. Hilton by no means had that choice as a result of his measurement, however he performed above his top and weight within the trenches. That’s one space the place Humphrey is watching his former AFC North rival to develop his sport.
“I’ve come to love it, as a result of [playing outside], there’s solely a lot aggression you may have if you’ve obtained to cowl Ja’Marr Chase,” Humphrey mentioned of his rising desire to play inside like Hilton. “You’ll be able to’t be too aggressive, however [as a] nickel, you get to get in there, get within the combine and get in ‘the trenches,’ as the massive guys name it.”
With the Ravens just lately including Jaire Alexander, it’s all of the extra apparent the place Marlon Humphrey will play. Together with Chidobe Awuzie and final 12 months’s first-round decide, Nate Wiggins, they’ve the surface coated. What they want is a Mike Hilton within the center.
Humphrey performed most of his snaps within the nickel function final season and had one among his finest years. He picked off a career-high six passes and made the first-team All-Professional Checklist. However with simply six profession sacks in eight years, he has some Mike Hilton tape to check.
