Will Hill Named to SI.com NFL All-Breakout Team

Sports Illustrated released their annual list of NFL players they expect to break out during the 2015 season and the Baltimore Ravens have a surprising player included in safety Will Hill.

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Hill was a great piece that proved to be a necessary addition in the long run, but it is interesting to see his name included because most of the other players mentioned are players that have developed a strong reputation around the league, mostly as high round draft picks. Geno Smith has been the talk of New York since the Jets drafted him. Ryan Shazier was one of the best linebacker prospects coming out if Ohio State in a long time. Malcolm Butler is now a household name for his infamous interception in Super Bowl XLIX.

Hill doesn’t fit that mold. While he enjoyed a terrific collegiate career at the University of Florida under Urban Meyer, Hill went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft. He did not sign with the New York Giants until a year later after spending the 2012 season with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.

Brandon Austin, one of the other editors here at The Baltimore Wire, recently touched on five Ravens that are primed for breakout seasons. Hill was not one of the five players mentioned. Most would say they’re expecting more from newcomer Kendrick Lewis rather than Hill.

While it is a bit of surprise to see Hill’s name, the Ravens wouldn’t mind if he truly did have that breakout season. Here is what Chris Burke of SI.com had to say about Hill’s upcoming season:

“Neither talent nor performance has never been an issue for Hill. When he’s on the field, Hill rises to the occasion as he did over the second half of last season. The problem is that the 25-year-old has been suspended three times in his three seasons for off-field incidents, including a six-game ban to open last year.

The 2014 penalty was beneficial to Baltimore twice: once, in allowing GM Ozzie Newsome to sign Hill for pennies on the dollar after the Giants released him; again this off-season, when no other team came through with an offer despite the Ravens placing an original-round tender on the formerly undrafted Hill.

Hill has moved over to strong safety to accommodate newcomer Kendrick Lewis. With Matt Elam out for the year (torn biceps), the job is Hill’s and Hill’s alone. And he has ample reason to stay out of trouble this season with the potential for a big free-agency payday looming.”

Everything written above is accurate. The Ravens reaped the benefits of Hill’s past and was able to keep him on board at a relatively cheap price. Now it is up to Hill to take his career to the next level.

The substance abuse problems need to stay behind him, first and foremost. He has already been suspended three times by the NFL and has also been arrested for failing to pay child support. These are problems that every NFL player should take care of on their own and not let it impact the team. They are easily fixable by just making better decisions off the field.

When he’s been on the field, Hill has been a good player and who knows what the Ravens secondary would have looked like last season if he wasn’t on the team. Elam would have been on the field more and we all saw how much teams took advantage of him in coverage. Now that Elam is likely out for the year with his biceps injury, Hill has the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself throughout the league for his play, not off-the-field issues.

With Lewis also in the fold, the Ravens have a very solid duo at safety. Losing Elam does hurt the depth of the team, but keeping Hill and being able to land Lewis was a blessing. At just 25 years of age, the Ravens are hopeful that Hill’s troubles are behind him and they are the team that can acquire his services for several years to come.

Next: Five Sleeper Picks to Make the Ravens Roster

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