Hill goes to Jets
He was initially told he didn’t have the potential to be drafted in the first three rounds, then was projected to go somewhere late in the first round. Former Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill ended up being selected somewhere in between – with the 11th pick of the second round Friday night, to the New York Jets.
Hill bounded out of the green room after the selection, announced by Jets legend Wesley Walker at Radio City Music hall, accepting a green Jets cap before greeting NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Hill goes to a team that let its second-leading wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, become a free agent. After tight end Dustin Keller (65 catches) and wide receiver Santonio Holmes (51 catches), the wide receiver with the most catches returning is Jeremy Kerley with 29 catches.
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62 comments Add your comment
Jacketgal
April 27th, 2012
8:13 pm
I wish this young man well! He has great potential
5150 UOAD
April 27th, 2012
8:20 pm
In NY if he does GOOD the media and fans will love but if he does bad the NY media & fans are BRUTAL.
Congrats and best of luck.
Ga Tech Old Timer
April 27th, 2012
8:20 pm
Good Luck Steven!!!
LongTimeTechFan
April 27th, 2012
8:23 pm
Glad Hill has gone pro. He dropped more passes than he caught. Looking forward to seeing new receivers on The Flats this fall.
Jacket Backer
April 27th, 2012
8:25 pm
Good luck Stephen! I thought it was interesting that Kiper and Gruden were talking about the Jets need for a WR that can block and secure the edge for their toss sweeps. Sweet!
Jacket Man
April 27th, 2012
8:25 pm
With Tim Tebow just traded to the Jets, I’m thinking that there was some hope of a Tebow to Thomas like magic that might be there with Stephen when they’re on the field together.
dekalb fan
April 27th, 2012
8:45 pm
@ Long time Tech fan, Mike Mayock has stated several times during his pre draft analysis that Hill had 29 catches and 5 drops. Quite the contrary of what you posted. If you are really a Tech fan then you should be happy for Stephen and the Tech program.
Never mind the fact that he did not have a QB with an arm to speak of while catching passes at Tech. I have ALWAYS stated that he has immense talent and it seems that he continues to repeatedly prove that much to the chagrin of you so called Tech fans.
Stephen we in Dekalb County and the Miller Grove Community are extremely proud of you and we will always support you.
When Stephen excels at the Professional Level, then you so called Tech Fans will say He’s from GT and say it with pride. Make up your mind. Either you support him or you don’t.
GTGreg
April 27th, 2012
8:59 pm
Good luck, Steven! Be sure to come back and keep the GT wide receiver NFL pipeline going!
Techman78
April 27th, 2012
9:06 pm
@dekalb fan- Personally I am a huge Tech fan and I also am a fan of Mr. Hill. He had/has tremendous potential and he has shown it on many occasions. With that being said, he did have some pretty big drops on open passes at Tech. I wish he would have hung around for his senior season as he could have put up unbelievable numbers the upcoming season. Anyway, I am very happy and excited for the young man and getting to hopefully see my favorite non Tech Alum throwing him the ball on Sundays. Tebow to Hill, sounds good to me.
crackbaby
April 27th, 2012
9:13 pm
Rex Ryan is gonna love Stephen Hill!
Ground & pound, then air it out. Hope Stephen can find a good mentor on that team. Braylon Edwards and Plax are less than ideal.
swarmi
April 27th, 2012
9:15 pm
I agree with 78…was looking forward to seeing Lee to Hill. But with the pay for pro players, congrats to him!
pine
April 27th, 2012
9:18 pm
Dekalb fan I too am happy for Steve but don’t build up one player while putting down those who criticize him while at the same time YOU are putting down the QB who made the passes to him. Seems to me that the qb must have had an arm good enough for Hill to catch the ball…Come on man….
jadams
April 27th, 2012
9:26 pm
I guess all tech wrs have to spend a little time with tebow
Jacket Fan
April 27th, 2012
9:57 pm
Good luck to Mr. Hill. With 40 to 45 receptions last year, he would have been a first rounder.
Different subject – when are Grimes and Bard due back for Tech baseball?
Thank you.
BS Patrol
April 27th, 2012
10:29 pm
Didn’t anyone watch this guy play? In addition to the balls that bounced off his chest were the ones he never made an effort to catch. If it was around his knees he didn’t want to get his uniform dirty or even reach down. Overhead? Forget it. Balls A.J. Green,Massaquoi, or CJ would have caught Hill never touched. I dont think he wanted to. This really grated on me,for one. I wouldn’t want him on my team.
Not Disappointed
April 27th, 2012
10:31 pm
I’m excited for Hill! Good luck young man and play hard!!! I could see some Tee Bow Magic brewing between the two!
Rambline Wreck!
West Coast Jacket
April 27th, 2012
10:41 pm
Hill would have benefited from one more year to work on catching passes in traffic and general route running. However, don’t believe anyone who says that he didn’t have some spectacular catches. The one hander against UNC and the long down the middle diving one in the Clemson game were as good as any I saw the entire season. Tech will miss him but also wish him the best.
Supersize that order, mutt
April 27th, 2012
10:51 pm
Tech beats Clemson 6 – 5 in the bottom of the 13th with a HR. YESSSSSSS
North Ave Killer Beez
April 27th, 2012
11:32 pm
With Tevin Wash as your QB, and trying to catch a pass after blocking your @ZZ off for 20 play before recieving a pass HILL did a great job. Thanks for showing up last year. Good luck in the pros.
GTfan2012
April 28th, 2012
12:06 am
Congrats to Stephen Hill. Can’t believe the kids from Illinois and App St. got drafted ahead of him, but middle of 2nd round is still very good.
SoCal_GT_Fan
April 28th, 2012
12:17 am
Congrats to Stephen Hill! I’m a GT alumni and Jets fan so I’m a pretty happy camper.
On another note, Hope you have a thick skin because the NY media is BRUTAL. Jets fans are brutal as well since we have an inferiority complex. I think you’ll understand when our “in-city” rival is the Giants and our most hated rival is the Patriots……… Yeah…. So they’ve been to the Super bowl many times the last few years…… Hence we are so desperate, we still put up with that coach of ours in hopes that he will bring us to the super bowl……
southern bell
April 28th, 2012
12:34 am
Very happy for Hill. Wish he would of stuck around for his senior season, but I wish him the best of luck as a Jet. I just wonder if he is as excited as Tebow is to be a Jet.
GTBob
April 28th, 2012
12:35 am
On another note, Hope you have a thick skin because the NY media is BRUTAL.
NY is Tebow town for the next couple of years. I don’t think Hill will be getting too much attention.
Glad for Hill...BUT
April 28th, 2012
12:36 am
with Sanchez or Tebow throwing passes to him he might be worse off than with Tevin L
steverino
April 28th, 2012
12:40 am
@ BS Patrol…wait now…do the NFL people know about the problems you mentioned? Don’t you think that YOU or SOMEONE should have come forward with this information BEFORE the draft process???!!! Call yourself a football fan, and then let a guy like this fool all of those NFL types while you just SAT on your hands and said NOTHING??!!! I mean sure….you probably posted your observations on this or other non-official forums. But what about sharing what you know with people who could actually DO something??!! This is why the NFL is in so much trouble!!
boykin
April 28th, 2012
2:30 am
BS Patrol: Why wouild it grate on you if your’e a Dog fan you imbecile!!!??? Great pick up for Jets and Sanchize!
Paddy
April 28th, 2012
6:25 am
5150UOAD…….Thanks, I never knew that about NY fans & media. Good call, we all should watch for that now!
Paddy
April 28th, 2012
6:32 am
GTfan2012……You can’t believe a Big 10 receiver went ahead of an ACC receiver in that round? Do you think most football fans have such a low opinion of the Big 10?
GT71
April 28th, 2012
7:20 am
Stop hating on Hill. Guys are right – who knows how good he’ll be with accurate QBs tossing the ball. He is a gamble for anyone, but that’s so true of all these young men.
I’m just happy CPJ can point to someone in the NFL when OPPFOR coaches bring their snide anti-option quips into recruits’ homes.
Hill is gone and September ain’t far off. Go Jackets!
5150 UOAD
April 28th, 2012
9:01 am
SuperS….The Tech game Last night was GREAT. I would love to Sweep Clem&son but have to take 2 of 3 for sure.
Paddy…….NEWS FLASH……UGa fans are Drunk Re&necks.
HighTech
April 28th, 2012
9:07 am
I quit watching the baseball game when Clemson took a 3 run lead in the 9th. I gave up too easily.
GO JACKETS!
HighTech
April 28th, 2012
9:09 am
Very happy for Stephen Hill. Hope he makes the most of his pro career. It will be interesting to watch.
Game Changer
April 28th, 2012
9:37 am
If this draft is not a wake up call to GA fans and the fact we do not have nfl caliber players on offense like our opponents and do not coach them up or improve them over a four year period, they will never figure it out. Why any offensive player would sign with GA with the current makeup being what it is surprises most. 2013 GA will have defensive players drafted but not one offensive player, and it continues. What happened to all the four and five star offensive players that have signed with GA?
Game Changer
April 28th, 2012
9:40 am
Hill was drafted for three reasons: learned how to block in college-huge plus, size, speed
Ga currently has no offensive players projected as nfl caliber, great coaches
BS Patrol
April 28th, 2012
9:57 am
@boykin. Don’t
fan, moron. If he suddenly turns into a silk purse in the NFL I’ll eat my hat.
BS Patrol
April 28th, 2012
10:01 am
That should say, Don’t call me a Dog fan. Somebody needs to get this web site fixed. It’s getting to be a nuisance.
yeller bug
April 28th, 2012
10:08 am
Great deal for Hill although his comments that he will now be in an offense where he’ll get more chances to catch the ball were a bit of a stinger.
I don’t think CPJ saw Hill leaving early….not many saw him going in the first 3 rounds when he declared for the NFL…..so congrats to Hill who exceeded expectations.
Game Changer
April 28th, 2012
10:23 am
Cordy Glenn was CHEATED by GA. Glenn lack of flexibility never corrected at GA. Why any offensive player would sign with GA is questionable. Glenn has not been improved at all. Easy flexibility work and Glenn would be ready for NFL. Will be very tough transition for Glenn, does not get low enough on attack, defenders use leverage on Glenn then agility which Glenn’s lack of flexibility from the waist, hips and knees kill him. GA has no offensive players for the 2013 NFL draft either. The fact that GA tight end is very overrated, dui, pot trouble, who knows what will happen?
Uh, Game Changer...
April 28th, 2012
11:03 am
…I believe Cordy was drafted BEFORE Hill, but don’t let the facts get in the way of a good rant…but you are correct about #7, the tight end – and his lack of “character” finally has caught up with him, as he should have stayed for his senior year and gotten his head on straighter…
GTfan2012
April 28th, 2012
11:08 am
Game Changer,
Well at least Orson Charles didn’t declare for the draft. Its a good thing he’s going back to school for another year. I mean I assume he’s staying in school, b/c he hasn’t been drafted in the first three rounds. Best TE in the SEC, he was a sure fire 1st or 2nd rounder, right? Hmmm… maybe Richt and staff coach ‘em down.
GTfan2012
April 28th, 2012
11:15 am
Paddy,
This is from ESPN… not saying its correct, just saying its opinion out there.
2. San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers drew criticism in the first round when they took wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, who wasn’t a first-round pick on some teams’ boards.
HighTech
April 28th, 2012
11:16 am
yeller bug…do you have links to Hill’s comments? I missed that.
HighTech
April 28th, 2012
11:24 am
“I’m ready to give the Jet fans something to scream about,” Hill said after spending the first day of the draft at the Radio City Music Hall green room.
The 6-5, 216-pound Hill gives Sanchez a tall, deep threat that was missing in the Jets’ offense.
“Catching the ball from Mark Sanchez (will be) great,” said Hill, who will replace Plaxico Burress and play opposite Santonio Holmes. “I’m going to make sure I get with him as soon as possible and try to get this roll on.”
Hill’s ability to stretch the field – he averaged 25.5 yards per catch in three seasons – will be a welcomed addition for Gang Green, but he’ll have to make an adjustment from Georgia Tech’s triple-option offensive system to the pros.
“It’s going to be a big transition,” Hill admitted. “I’m ready to go. I’m ready to learn. I’m a quick learner. So I’m ready to see how things unfold.”
Hill, who only had 49 receptions in college, was one of most athletic receivers in the draft. The Jets were enamored by Hill’s leaping ability, which will make him an ideal red-zone threat too. His blocking prowess was another bonus for a team that will emphasize that within their ground-and-pound scheme.
“I can definitely put somebody on the butt,” Hill said. “They liked my physicality a lot.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2012/04/wr-stephen-hill-i%E2%80%99m-ready-to-give-the-jet-fans-something-to-scream-about
Game Changer
April 28th, 2012
12:23 pm
@UH I am huge fan of Glenn, my point is that Glenn should be coming out ready to compete in the NFL, the simple fact that flexibility and technique were not taken care of properly at GA is detrimental to his early days in NFL. Glenn will turn out fine in my belief but it will take time for flexibility and technique to reach NFL level.
Tight End + Quarterback = One In The Same??
hbcuclassics
April 28th, 2012
12:31 pm
HBCU Classic Sports
2012 Draft Preview:
LB, Cliff Exama, Grambling
http://www.hbcuclassics.com/hbcu_showcase
5150 UOAD
April 28th, 2012
12:35 pm
hbcuclassics…….when I want to watch HBCU….I watch the NBA.
HighTech
April 28th, 2012
12:43 pm
I saw a documentary about the role of players from HBCU’s in the early days of the AFL. Thanks for the link hbcuclassics. There’s alot of history there. Best of luck to Cliff Exama.
Paul Johnson
April 28th, 2012
1:00 pm
Haha, yes, my genius has been confirmed. My offense taught Mr. Hill the skills necessary to be adequate run blocker for a team that has no idea what the forward pass is. Which is great for Hill, as he’ll probably have less chances to catch a ball with Tebow than he did with my brilliant early 20th century playbook.
5150 UOAD
April 28th, 2012
1:08 pm
HT….I think more HBCU players were in the ABA and made that League work.
yeller bug
April 28th, 2012
1:12 pm
High Tech–It’s on the blog of Jets take Hill 2nd Round…his words:
“I feel great, especially now that I’m in an offense where I can catch the ball a little bit more,” Hill said.
Stumpknocker
April 28th, 2012
1:18 pm
Oh but “Game Changer”, most dawg fans swear up and down that blocking skills have little value to a wide receiver.
GT fan
April 28th, 2012
1:23 pm
GT is top 3 in NCAA rushing every year yet Dwyer & Allen are drafted in the 6th round (or was AA in the 7th?).
Then there’s Thomas & Hill … drafted in the 1st & 2nd rounds.
———————————
WnE, can I get YOUR expert opinion on this “phenomenon”?
yeller bug
April 28th, 2012
1:29 pm
Funny Paul Johnson…….what makes it humorous is the amount of truth in it. However like those foolish to vote for Hope and Change in 2008, we can have have hope that things will change on the flats.
Using some engineering and lean sigma analysis….we know that unless you have an incredible athlete, you cannot have a great option QB and a great throwing QB. Using the 80-20 rule, you can be good/more than adequate in one area without extensive effort (80%), but the last 20% takes as much effort as the first 80. Thus, with Vad Lee, I hope CPJ will have him focus on his passing skills to fully develop them and accept that he is just adequate in the run option. Days & TW can focus run-first, then pass and all three will provide us the full spectrum of QB capability. Let’s destroy the myth that you need to keep the same QB in the game for consistency and flow. Like pitchers in baseball, use them situationally and I think the GT offensive attack will be feared by all who try to defend against it. That would uber-modernize our playbook!
BS Patrol
April 28th, 2012
1:48 pm
He meant to say, “now that I’m in an offense where I can alligator arm the ball a little more.”
HighTech
April 28th, 2012
1:53 pm
Thanks, yeller bug. I didn’t see it as a stinger. Fact is the offense has been more run oriented. Like you, I’m hoping for some more balance in the future as it will further add to the confusion of opposing defenses.
yeller bug
April 28th, 2012
2:16 pm
You can’t argue with going in the first or second round, but it’d be nice to see what a DT or SH would do in their Sr. year. I think they would be the feature receiver and have about 40 or so balls thrown their way. The true irony as mentioned above is that GT has the most prolific running attack and their feature back is drafted in the 6th and 7th round and they rarely throw the ball and have 2 WRs go in the first two rounds. We can test this inverse theory: Maybe we can go for it on every 4th down this Fall and never punt and then see if our punter will be taken first in next year’s draft.
MICHAEL
April 28th, 2012
2:46 pm
the boy can’t catch. we all saw that for three years.
GTfan2012
April 28th, 2012
6:00 pm
MICHAEL,
Wow insightful analysis. You must know more than the Jets or all the draft experts. Some NFL team needs to sign you up to a $250,000 contract as a talent scout. Because apparently you think that a guy who had the highest yards per catch in college football can’t catch. Did he drop a few balls, absolutely. Did he also make some great catches, absolutely. I think the Jets saw this film and came to a different conclusion than you did.
WnE
April 28th, 2012
6:11 pm
re:
GT fan
April 28th, 2012
1:23 pm
GT is top 3 in NCAA rushing every year yet Dwyer & Allen are drafted in the 6th round (or was AA in the 7th?).
Then there’s Thomas & Hill … drafted in the 1st & 2nd rounds.
———————————
WnE, can I get YOUR expert opinion on this “phenomenon”?
_____________
The same way the NFL scouts takes risks like that NT from Memphis:
You can’t coach 6-3 345 lbs that runs a 4.9 forty.
Sometimes you take risks & reaches on raw physical measurables that have nothing to do with CPJ or his coaching.
There aren’t that many guys that are 6-3+ 215+lbs. that can run UNDER 4.4 in the forty.
The same way that NBA coaches give extra chance to 7 footers because they think they can teach them, NFL coaches give extra looks at tall fast WRs because even ifthey are RAW like Hill, NFL coaches think they can teach them what they need to know.
Bay- Bay & Hill had FREAKISH measurable for the WR position, whereas Dwyer & Allen did NOT have freakish measurable for the RB position.
If Dwyer and Alleen had Bo Jackson/Herschel Walker type measurables, then they would have easily been 1st round draft picks regardless of the Offense in college, only one NFL HC out of 32 has to take that “risk”.
The fact that you asked that stoopid question makes me wonder do you know anything about CFB or Pro FB.
sports
April 28th, 2012
7:02 pm
These techies can’t reach the pros, but they qualify for the slammer.
Ghost
April 28th, 2012
7:17 pm
GT fan2012, They had to watch film from early in the year that YPC was impressive but came mostly against weaker competition.Congrats to him for working hard and getting drafted in the 2nd round.
1 4 GT
April 28th, 2012
7:31 pm
Did ya’ll see the grin on Stephen Hill’s face when he bounded onto the stage to shake Goodell’s hand? His face was lit up like a Christmas tree. Even “Boom” the commentator talked about it. His grin was ear to ear and he looked like a kid waking up on Christmas morning and finding everything he wanted under the tree. GOOD FOR HIM!!! GOOOOO HILL GOOOOOOOO JACKETS THWGeorgie