My entire point in this thread is that there is a false fan/media narrative about Trysten Hill.
The false narrative is that he is lazy and has a bad attitude.
In reality, he was considering a very "high motor" player that plays with extreme effort and urgency.
All of his D-Coordinators (2 from college and Marinelli) have said that he is a high effort player and hard worker in practice.
Hill has plenty of issues as you can see below where I highlighted his negatives in red; however, lack of effort is absolutely not one of his issues.
In fact, it appears to he plays with too much effort which causes some of his technique issues and causes him to be out of control at times.
The 2nd college coaching staff made him a non-starter due to his struggles to adapt to their scheme and technique requirements; however, he had career highs for tackles, tackles for loss and sacks that season.
Memphis with Tony Pollard struggled to do anything vs UCF in the AAC Championship game when Hill was on the field, but scored at ease when he was not on the field.
Draft Reports by Joe Marino and Jon Ledyard
Red = Bad
Blue = Good
Marino:
Run Defense - Attacks the neutral zone with unbelievable urgency and offers gap-shooting ability. Unfortunately, his high level of urgency doesn’t completely mask his soft anchor. He gets worked by drive blocks and gets washed by down blocks. Needs to add lower body strength and maintain his run fits with more consistency.
Pass Rush - He’s busy. Gets off the ball in a hurry and attacks the edges of blockers. Lack of contact power and balance shows up when blockers land their punch. His plan is reliant on beating opponents to landmarks and powering through angles. Must develop more nuance with his hands and counters.
Effort - One of the most urgent football players I have ever seen. Plays every snap like his life depends on it. Always pursues the football at a full sprint. Gets knocked down and immediately pops up looking for the football. More technique is needed to take advantage of his effort and turn it into consistent playmaking.
Hand Technique - Hands are busy not lack purpose. HAS to do a better job of keeping his pads clean given his lack of functional power. Has single moves that are effective but timing and deployment of counters needs major development.
Flexibility - He generally forces blockers out of their sets and powers through angles but I wouldn’t exactly call him bendy. Rushes with good tilt through angles. Insane effort leads to quicker turns despite some tightness in his lowers.
Play Strength - He can reset the line of scrimmage by plowing into blockers but he doesn’t have the anchor to sustain his ground. Has built in leverage but he doesn’t do a good enough job with his hands to keep punches off his frame.
Play Speed - There’s no doubt that he plays fast with insane urgency but it can be to his detriment and he’ll run right out of his rush lanes and run fits. Creates levels in the run game by getting too far up the field.
Lateral Movement - Fast flower up and down the line of scrimmage and to the sideline. Has terrific range but he needs to be more reliable to stay in his fits on stretch runs.
Versatility - Best deployed on the interior in even fronts as a gap-shooter. Not a candidate to defend multiple gaps in odd fronts. Has potential against the run and pass if he can develop technically.
BEST TRAIT - Motor
WORST TRAIT - Technique
Hill is one of the most urgent football players my eyes have ever seen. He battles on every single snap, fires off the ball with intent and pursues the football with reckless abandon. With that said, Hill is often more active than he is effective. More technique is required for Hill to take advantage of his motor that always runs hot. While he outworks opponents and makes his share of plays, that will be mitigated at the next level and more functional strength and hand technique is necessary for him to make an impact. Hill’s elite competitive demeanor is worth taking a chance on and he should be able to make an impact in a rotation.
Ledyard:
Get-off/Burst - Erupts off the ball with good reactionary quickness. Can pop straight up in the air rather than straight out up the field, but when he fires out, he can wreck plays with his burst. Quickness allows him to cross the face of offensive linemen and backdoor gaps, leading to a lot of his TFL production.
Leverage - Has some built-in leverage at 6-foot-1, but does let his pad level swell and stands straight up off the snap at times. Loses ground against base blocks and doubles when he plays high, doesn't control gaps like he should. When he fired out low, has the burst and power to re-set the line of scrimmage and knock blockers back off the snap (Memphis).
Hand Usage - If you can't defend your frame, you can't dictate terms 1v1. Hill can beat blockers to spots at times, but everything about his point of attack defense is inconsistent. Has stretches of play where he doesn't use full arm extension with good hand placement to stack and shed well and can get walled off as a result (Temple). When he does unlock his hands, has exceptional power and has tossed and hump moved opponents before (Memphis). Technique needs a lot more consistency, but talent is clear.
Rush Plan/Counters - Tons of energy with very little purpose as a pass rusher. Hands are constantly churning, but misses target and gets off-balance as a result. Elbows get hinged and speed-to-power conversions die out due to high pad level. Can't keep blockers off his frame and gets body-to-body too often. Plan of attack has to become more intricate, almost solely reliant on shooting gaps to get pressure right now.
Mental Processing/Block Recognition - True bull in a china shop. Gets overrun by zone schemes and plays with very little mental processing. Doubles and down blocks can catch him by surprise and generate movement. Reckless style ends with him on the ground more than you'd like to see.
Range - Despite elite hustle, doesn't have great range and speed is average for the position. Will make plays with his effort that some more rangy defensive tackles wouldn't consider attempting. Short-area quickness is impressive, some of his tackles for loss involved quick lateral movement.
Bend/Flexibility - He's tilted a few impressive angles for backfield stops. Doesn't work to the blocker's edge often enough to know exactly what he's capable of in this area, but the few times he has I've been impressed.
Tackling - Overruns tackles in space far too often. Has to throttle down and keep his eyes up as a tackler. Doesn't have a big tackle radius, but he'll go all out for stops and maximize what he's got.
Competitive Toughness - Part of a heavy rotation, but played unbelievably hard when he was on the field. Ridiculous hustle in every game to attempt to chase down runners away from his gap. Plays with reckless abandon and physicality. Chirps too.
Athleticism/Size - Carries some extra weight around his midsection and lacks ideal length, but can't teach girth. If his technique improves, his size and natural center of gravity could be an asset. Decent athlete with some impressive short-area quickness.
BEST TRAIT - Hustle/Burst
WORST TRAIT - Pass Rush Plan
Oddly enough, Hill started the first 26 games of his career before coming off the bench in all but one game as a junior. His production went up however, as the defensive tackle posted career highs in tackles (36), TFL (10.5) and sacks (3). Hill's quickness and power are clear strengths on tape, but his technique remains a work-in-progress, and his pass rush plan is significantly lacking.