Tech’s Hill could be a 49er
SI.com draft expert Tony Pauline believes former Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill could go late in the first round when the NFL draft begins Thursday. San Francisco looks like a possible landing spot with the No. 30 pick.
“If he doesn’t go late first round, I can’t see him getting past the first six to eight picks of round two,” he said.
Pauline said Hill could go as early as No. 16 to the New York Jets. He believes the Jets are trying to trade out of that spot, but if they don’t, “People say (Notre Dame’s Michael) Floyd would be a tough pick for the franchise with the state it’s in now.”
(Floyd had a DUI arrest and two underage-drinking offenses.)
About half of the mock drafts I reviewed give Hill to San Francisco, which is going into the draft with proven receivers in Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree but question marks in Randy Moss and Ted Ginn Jr. Others give him to Houston at No. 26 and the rest to teams in the first five or six picks of the second round.
For whatever it’s worth, San Francisco reportedly brought in wide receiver prospects Rueben Randle (LSU), Kendall Wright (Baylor), A.J. Jenkins (Illinois) and Hill for pre-draft visits, which could all well be a smokescreen.
As for Tech’s other draft entrants – A-back Roddy Jones, wide receiver Tyler Melton, A-back Embry Peeples, defensive end Jason Peters, safety Rashaad Reid, linebacker Steven Sylvester and defensive tackle Logan Walls – Pauline doesn’t expect any to be drafted. In his view, he gives Sylvester the best chance of signing as an undrafted free agent, followed by Jones, Peeples and Peters.
Thanks for reading.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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76 comments Add your comment
c3033
April 24th, 2012
9:23 am
First?
Rduck
April 24th, 2012
9:32 am
Best of luck to Hill and all of these GT players. Hopefully they will all be given a chance somewhere. Thanks for the coverage Ken.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
9:37 am
Best of luck to Stephen Hill! With all of the draft day trading, it’s not inconceivable that a team with a high 2nd round pick might move into the 1st round before SF.
Good luck to the other Seniors…hopefully one gets drafted. I strongly believe Tyler Melton will stick on an NFL roster (a la Kevin Cone) and there’s good chances for Roddy Jones and Jason Peters.
GT All Day
April 24th, 2012
9:42 am
Best of luck to Hill. As for the Jackets, it will improve recruiting to see Hill go a first rounder.
GT All Day
April 24th, 2012
9:44 am
Hopefully this season we will see Vad Lee connect with Stephen Hill’s replacement (Jeff Greene). I think this will depend heavily on running out of the shotgun. 90% of our “old” triple option plays can still be run out of the shotgun. See video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwMInV2RyYg
AugustaJacket
April 24th, 2012
10:00 am
GT All Day: “Hopefully this season we will see Vad Lee connect with Stephen Hill’s replacement (Jeff Greene).”
——————————————-
I’d be happy to see any of our QB’s connect with Jeff Greene.
kingster
April 24th, 2012
10:31 am
I wish Stephen Hill all the best, I hope he goes in the mid 1st round, but if he doesn’t hopefully later in that round. I hope he does real well, being that I hope it helps GT a lot also in their recruiting, I feel they need a lot of help, who knows, maybe the “O” changes a little and we put the ball in the air more.
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
10:46 am
What a tremendous opportunity he has to realize his dreams. I must say, though, that if he is playing for the 49ers, there is no way I will be able to root for him!
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
10:51 am
GS…Barca/Chelsea leg 2 today
I forgot to mention my most favorite haunt in Inman Park…the Albert!
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
10:58 am
I’m jacked, FLJ! TiVo is set and I’ll be tuning in as soon as I get home from work.
Went to the Albert during Inman Park Restaurant Week last year. I really liked it, too.
Jacket Man
April 24th, 2012
11:19 am
Stephen may not make it to San Francisco based on over a dozen other mock drafts. I’ve seen several having him going to the Browns with their second pick, the Jets, the Texans, Da Bears, and even the Bengals. Heck, I’ve even seen a couple of crazy mocks having Stephen going to the Jaguars in the top ten. I’ve seen the Patriots, the Ravens, and even the Giants…Heck, there are so many smoke screens, for all anyone knows, Stephen may even slip into the second round, and the Rams or Colts will jump all over him.
juvenal
April 24th, 2012
11:26 am
no point in going to Tech, just an education, no shot at the pros……..would love to see the Blues & Bayern in the final…….
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
12:00 pm
Peeples, Jones and Melton all can play in the league. I could see Roddy considering Coaching depending on his Other Job Offers if the NFL doesn’t give him a chance.
Tokyo jacket
April 24th, 2012
12:02 pm
Good luck to Steven Hill. Also, if there were a way to ensure the others got drafted if he didn’t, I would want that to be Roddy Jones. That guy will be successful in life no matter what. He doesn’t need a three-year NFL career to be happy. Good luck to all though. I hope everyone signs a contract
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
12:07 pm
“no point in going to Tech, just an education, no shot at the pros……..would love to see the Blues & Bayern in the final…….”
juvenal…
Stephen Hill, Demaryius Thomas, Jon Dwyer, Anthony Allen, Derrick Morgan, Morgan Burnett, Cord Howard, and Kevin Cone would all like to disagree with you…it’s just as good a school if any if you are an NFL-level prospect.
As for the soccer…I just can’t see Chelsea holding on to a 1-goal advantage at the Nou Camp. Even though they have all the talent in the world, Chelsea cannot keep possession or get the number of chances like Barca can. Bayern, on the other hand, has a great shot at pulling the upset at the Bernabeu…but they have to score 2 or more to overcome Real’s away goal. Again, very difficult. I see tomorrow’s game going 2-1 Real and settled with PKs.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
12:13 pm
“Went to the Albert during Inman Park Restaurant Week last year. I really liked it, too.”
GS…on the weekends I still think the albert does smoked wings and beef brisket. I highly recommend that…
Supersize that order, mutt
April 24th, 2012
12:21 pm
@ FLJ…..I have to assume that juvenal was being sarcastic, because he IS a Tech fan. I met him at one of the games last Fall.
And somebody please tell me…. what is the Albert?
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
12:28 pm
Any of you going to the ted for the game tonight?
I think I am going to meet Dawg48 and his wife at the game.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
12:31 pm
SS…The Albert is a bar in Inman Park I used to haunt a lot. The owner named the joint after her son…and is filled with all kinds of stuff about people with the name “Albert”. I did trivia there for years (even when I briefly lived OTP). REALLY good food.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 24th, 2012
12:34 pm
@ UOAD, is the game tonight? I thought it was tomorrow night. At any rate, two trips to Atlanta within a week is a bit too much for me these days
Supersize that order, mutt
April 24th, 2012
12:34 pm
Thanks, FLJ……I’ve never heard of it before today
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
12:36 pm
SUPER it is tonight at 7 pm and on TV @ FSN or Sports South.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 24th, 2012
12:36 pm
Thanks, UOAD. I will definitely watch it then
old dog
April 24th, 2012
12:40 pm
Teddy G. is an athlete, but not exactly a great receiver…..Moss will (believe it or not) do better than many think. San-Fran is on the way up either way and it looks like a place this kid should go. Y’all can get good receivers…..now get a QB who can throw to them!
juvenal
April 24th, 2012
12:55 pm
Super, sad how unappreciated Decimus Juvenalis is these days, (i.e., “Satires Of Juvenal”)-his account of the ethical decline of Rome presages our own…FLJ, thought pk was still kickin’ with shakira……
Supersize that order, mutt
April 24th, 2012
12:57 pm
@ junvenal, if you hadn’t disappeared from the blogs for the last 4 months, FLJ would have known better. Good to FINALLY have you back
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
12:58 pm
juvenal…yup, if you can score Shakira then I do believe Mr. Pique has won in life. Iker Casillas supposedly has the world’s hottest TV Reporter. Cristiano Ronaldo has an SI Swimsuit cover girl. I wonder what Messi can get…
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
12:59 pm
“FLJ would have known better”
I’m like the guy who fired shots on Stonewall Jackson! Shame on me…
Supersize that order, mutt
April 24th, 2012
1:02 pm
@ FLJ……Well, you lost me on the Shakira stuff, but the “fired shots on Stonewall Jackson” reference was funny
Supersize that order, mutt
April 24th, 2012
1:05 pm
Time for lunch and some errands, guys. Y’all have fun
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
1:06 pm
One of Barca’s soccer players (Gerard Pique) is dating Shakira (who’s probably the most popular singer/performer in the world – and pretty darn hot).
CC
April 24th, 2012
2:27 pm
Who cares? Hill did nothing in college.
TN
April 24th, 2012
2:35 pm
I’ll be shocked if Melton doesn’t end up on an NFL roster for at least a year.
TN
April 24th, 2012
2:39 pm
CC, you clearly care, otherwise you wouldn’t be on this blog.
Oh, and Hill did a lot in college, for one the amazing catch vs. Clemson this year that was a huge momentum-swing in that game.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
2:44 pm
“Who cares? Hill did nothing in college.”
You’re right. Except for leading the NCAA in YPC the last 2 seasons.
CC
April 24th, 2012
2:50 pm
How many YPC did hill average in a game?
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
2:52 pm
I think over 29 YPC…
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
2:54 pm
29.3…but even that tells only part of the story of his effectiveness
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
2:56 pm
“Who cares? Hill did nothing in college.”
Neither did Terrell Davis or Antonio Gates. How ’bout we play a game. You take players based on collegiate statistics and I’ll take players based on their tools. I think I know who’s going to win.
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
2:59 pm
How many Blocks did Hill Throw on those 1 play TD runs by our A-Backs? Hill’s Blocks down field help account for q few TD runs.
I guess Hill isn’t AJ Green. Hill didn’t take plays off or do nothing when he was not going to get a pass.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
3:00 pm
GS…The Dolphins just signed a guy to play TE WHO NEVER PLAYED COLLEGE FOOTBALL…and was 6 months into an Accounting career.
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
3:03 pm
It happens with some frequency, FLJ, and so does the opposite – a player that dominated in college but can’t do jack in the NFL. None of this should be surprising because they are different games.
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
3:07 pm
I LOVE the Tony Gonzalez story. Better High School/College BBall player to a Hall of Fame Football TE.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
3:08 pm
I will also be keen to any further criticism of CPJ for his ability to recruit if Stephen Hill (ranked between the 24th-98th WR in the 2009 recruting class) is drafted ahead of Reuben Randle (ranked #1 WR by ESN in the 2009 recruiting class) of LSU.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
3:10 pm
“I LOVE the Tony Gonzalez story. Better High School/College BBall player to a Hall of Fame Football TE.”
5150…Jimmy Graham only played 1 year of CFB after playing basketball at Miami.
dyk…Tony Gonzalez was Orange County, CA HS athlete of the year, an award he shared with…Tiger Woods
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
3:15 pm
I do know the Graham story but did not know the Tony G & Tiger story.
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
3:18 pm
It’s because of Terrance Mathis, FLJ!
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
3:25 pm
Terrance Mathis taught Stephen Hill how to be 6′4″ 215! He taught him how to run a 4.3! He taught him how to block! He taught him how to read coverage! Not just that, but…
He taught him how to line up onside! He taught him how to buckle his chin-strap! He taught him how to put one foot in front of the other! He taught him that after you take one breath…you take another one!
Terrance Mathis made Stephen Hill who he is today!
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
3:29 pm
Everybody…keep occupying WnE on the “6 Spring observations” thread so that he doesn’t come to this one
juvenal
April 24th, 2012
3:32 pm
Super, swore off blogs for Lent……FLJ, since FCB is not playing Barca, it was REAL-ly also another joke….besides, Ken still hasn’t commented on if my asking about the shotgun as far back as Doug(a fellow gooner) was why they started using it…….hope we play chelsea, barca ok, both fancy teams out would be Spains worst double defeat since Rocroi & the Armada…….depends on if the refs call it like they were wearing kilts, & not skirts…..
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
3:36 pm
juvenal…Guy Ritchie I’m sure will be rooting for “Ze Germans”
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
3:41 pm
I gotta be honest, juvenal. I’ve thought about retiring from the blogs. The trolls have made an intelligent discussion almost impossible to have.
juvenal
April 24th, 2012
3:53 pm
George, put your right hand over the middle of the screen-now only look at the posts of people you want to have an intelligent conversation with……..
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
3:54 pm
GS…what other Tech blogs have you been to? I go on From the Rumble Seat quite a bit and I enjoy it…although I would hate to rob Ken of well-deserved page hits.
BLT
April 24th, 2012
3:56 pm
Terence Mathis taught me how to tie my shoes. No small feat for Terence because I’m a Toadie. LOL
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
3:59 pm
This is the only one I frequent, FLJ.
Things is, juvenal, that I’m fine with critics. I want to hear what they have to say. But people who troll (think dawgfan, WnE, etc) should be banned immediately.
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
4:02 pm
George I like to jerk the SEC and UGa fans chain every so often.
George Stein
April 24th, 2012
4:05 pm
I have no interest in doing things specifically to get a reaction out of people, 5150.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
4:08 pm
Terrance Mathis taught me Calculus II…
5150 UOAD
April 24th, 2012
4:16 pm
Out Headed to the TED for the GT v UGa game.
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
4:18 pm
THWG 5150!
BG
April 24th, 2012
4:36 pm
Hill has alot to prove.
JM
April 24th, 2012
5:05 pm
Good luck to all. If they make the NFL great. If not they’ll have plenty of options after they graduate.
IndyGT
April 24th, 2012
6:39 pm
Great to see more jackets in the NFL!! I’ll be sticking it to my UGA buddies that our receivers are better known than UGA’s in the league.
@FL Jacket – how bout the blues? NOBODY would have said they move on after that moron JT lost his mind. Negative football – 1, the beautiful game – 0
FL Jacket
April 24th, 2012
11:53 pm
Indy…probably one of the best team efforts I’ve ever seen out of Chelsea. Tense and riveting game throughout. I think Chelsea will be missing 3 players in the Final because of yellow cards.
John Terry is an idiot. What he did wasn’t anywhere close to Zizou bad…but not all that far off either. He was the MNT captain for God sakes!
Birmingham Jacket
April 25th, 2012
8:24 am
Those West Coast guys obviously didn’t watch many Georgia Tech games.
HighTech
April 25th, 2012
8:42 am
Georgia Tech’s Offense prepared Stephen Hill for the NFL….
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-blog/2012/04/15/nfl-draft-stephen-hill-prepared-for-pros/
FL Jacket
April 25th, 2012
9:00 am
“Those West Coast guys obviously didn’t watch many Georgia Tech games.”
No Birmingham…he only worked out for them in person…
yeller bug
April 25th, 2012
9:18 am
Question to the elite bloggers here: Do you think GT effectively utilized S. Hill last year? Yes, 29.3 YPC is impressive, but that’s because of a couple of break away runs. He didn’t have that many total catches. Did he just bloom real late or actually never bloom on the field—just demonstrated the raw talent in the combine with his speed, leaping ability, etc. Should there have been more wide receiver screens, tunnel screens or other plays to get him the ball as a playmaker or due to his somewhat inconsidetent catching performance, did it work better to have him as a decoy or downfield blocker? We’ve had 2 WR go pro and probably drafted in the first round (3 counting Calvin) and all of them left their JR year. Does that mean we’re doing things really right or really wrong?
FL Jacket
April 25th, 2012
9:24 am
Yeller…
Do we win anymore games from dropping back to pass 5-10 extra times with Tevin Washington?
yeller bug
April 25th, 2012
10:34 am
Valid point FLJ, but I think our passing plays are too complex for the skills at QB that we have. Quick screens, quick outs and passes to stationary targets vice crossing routes would help get our pass completion % up. Although the YPC would drop, that’s OK as long as we’re moving the chains. We typically get one-on-one coverage on our WRs and often the CB is 8 or 10 yds back. We’ve had success with the big pass play but when we have a big receiver like DT and SH, I think we should get him the ball more on short passes and see if he can break one. It also will pull the CB closer and if you have a 6′ 5″ WR with 4.35 speed then you can go downtown with the big play. Of course you need an OL that can sustain a block for 3.5 seconds and a QB that can pass the ball within a catable distance of the receiver.
yeller bug
April 25th, 2012
10:35 am
catchable
RJ
April 25th, 2012
11:05 am
I wish Hill the best. Don’t understand why anyone considers him first round material, but hey, that’s the weird scouting of the NFL for you.
Hopefully next year we don’t have a #1 receiver that we actively hope doesn’t drop ANOTHER ball.
Jacket Man
April 25th, 2012
7:41 pm
Mike Mayock, of the NFL Network, just released his one and only Mock Draft, and has Stephen going #20 to Tennessee?
“Hill is so good he might catch 30 balls and six will go for touchdowns”.
Stephen is also Mayock’s third WR off the board…
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/mock-dr…HP11_hot_topics
Jacket Man
April 25th, 2012
7:50 pm
Not sure why the other link didn’t work:
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2012/mock-drafts/mike-mayock/150251?module=HP11_cp
BIrmingham Jacket
April 26th, 2012
7:33 am
He’s big.
He’s strong.
He’s super-fast.
And he can’t catch!!!
Good luck with that.