#98 -3rd Round - Seattle, Leroy Hill, LB, Clemson

[Hostile]

Compensatory selection

Seahawks select... Leroy Hill, LB, Clemson

[jterrell]

this had to be a reach.

[Juke99]

Leroy Hill, OLB+MLB, Clemson
Height: 6:01.2 Weight: 224

Overview: Leroy is the first Clemson player, regardless of position since 1999-2000 to earn first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in consecutive years. At a school known for their its deep linebacker tradition, Hill joins fellow Tiger backers Randy Scott, Anthony Simmons, Keith Adams, Bubba Brown, Levon Kirkland, Jim Catoe and Ed McDaniel as Tiger 'backers to receive conference post-season honors more than once in a career. Hill was an All-State selection at Baldwin (Haddock, Ga.) High, where he also earned All-Area and All-Conference honors in each of his final two years. Hill recorded 150 tackles as a senior, adding Region Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was thrust right into the action as a true freshman at Clemson, recording 31 tackles (19 solos) in 135 plays during ten games in 2001. The following year, Leroy led the special teams with 21 tackles, finishing with a total of 29 hits (16 solos) with a stop behind the line of scrimmage in only 47 plays for the season. Hill took over middle linebacker duties in 2003, leading the team with 145 tackles (110 solos), eight sacks, 27 stops behind the line of scrimmage, eight pressures and three interceptions. Only Keith Adams (35 in 1999) had more stops for losses in a season for the Tigers. Hill continued to lead the Tigers as a senior, earning Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the team with 106 tackles (74 solos), eight sacks, 19 stops for losses and seven pressures in 2004. In 47 games with the Tigers, LeRoy started 24 times. He closed out his career with 311 tackles (219 solos), including 16 sacks for minus -minus-123 yards, 48 stops for losses of 182 yards and fifteen quarterback pressures. Only Anthony Simmons (52, 1995-97), Keith Adams (54, 1998-2000), William Perry (60, 1981-84) and Michael Dean Perry (61, 1984-87) recorded more stops behind the line of scrimmage in school history than Leroy's 48. He also recovered a fumble, caused two others, intercepted three passes and had four pass deflections at Clemson.

Analysis: PositivesOne of the most productive linebackers in the country, LeRoy compensates for a lack of ideal bulk with quickness, fluid lateral agility and an explosive straight-line burst. He is a run-&--and-hit type of defender who does a very good job of stringing plays wide. He shows a quick burst to close and when he finds the clear lane, he can be a very disruptive force in the backfield. While there is no questioning that LeRoy is a tackling machine, he is also not a pro inside linebacker. He has good weight room strength, but his lack of size generally sees him get engulfed by the larger blockers and he struggles to disengage. He has good instincts on the move, but not enough to make proper reads or react to the plays working inside the box. If he is operating at the line of scrimmage, the larger blockers will usually engulf him. In order for Hill to have success, he has to be on the move and work in space. In pass coverage, LeRoy does a decent job of mirroring the tight ends, and has shown marked improvement picking up the receiver when working the zone. He has fluid lateral agility and shows the hip snap to change direction and make sharp breaks in transition. His range in zone coverage allows him to stay on the hip of the receiver and also maintain vision on the ball in flight. He gets good depth in his pass drops and looks instinctive enough in coverage assignments to possibly get consideration as a strong safety at the pro level. Hill gets stonewalled trying to work through traffic and is best when he can either chase down the play or come off the edge to apply pressure for the pocket. He will step up to fill the rush lanes, but a lack of bulk will see him constantly get pushed back. He does seem to have a knack for locating the ball in pursuit. He will wrap and drag down the ball carrier along the corner, but he runs around blocks too much and does have the quickness to cross-face the blocker, causing him to get walled off. In a coverCover-2-two system, he might not have the pure speed to play on the weak- side. His quickness coming off the edge and his ability to perform on special teams is what will make him be a good value pick late in the draft. But, due to his size limitations, he might not be capable of handling every down duty.

Negatives

Agility tests: 4.62 in the 40-yard dash...375-pound bench press...530-pound squat...325-pound power clean...34-inch vertical jump...10'1" broad jump...31 -inch arm length...9 7/8-inch hands.

High school: Attended Baldwin (Haddock, Ga.) High School, playing football for coach Daryl Silas... Class 5A All-State pick in his junior and senior seasons...Named the Region Defensive Player of the Year, adding All-Area, All-Conference and All-Region honors as both a junior and senior...Accumulated 150 tackles as a senior.

Personal: Management major...Born Leroy Hill, Jr. on 9/14/82...Resides in Haddock, Georgia.

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