Mike Hilton catapulted himself to being a vital player in the Steelers' defense when he joined the team in 2017. In just two seasons, he recorded 14 passes defended and three interceptions while being the team's best slot cornerback.
But his tape in the second half of 2018 raised questions about Hilton's future with the team as he's not signed with the team past 2019. Let's dig into Hilton's play and show why he should be kept around:
In my War Room grades, Hilton got a B+ on the year, but you can see that his scores waned in the third quarter of the season after having a stellar second quarter. Part of those came in games where Hilton couldn't lock-up big receivers like San Diego's Keenan Allen, who had a huge performance out of the slot.
Hilton's strengths include understanding the defense and making adjustments, which otherwise would be a major concern for a slot cornerback. His position requires more coverage switches and maneuvering through traffic as he lines up on either side of the middle of the field, while outside cornerbacks can more clearly see their assignments.
Hilton has no problems in either case.
Take this breakup he forced while covering the Cincinnati's Tyler Boyd. Boyd is lined up as the back part of a tight bunch-left look by the Bengals, making him the hardest to read and reach. Hilton can't line up in front of him without the receivers in front of Boyd getting in the way.
But when Boyd releases and the two front receivers cross Hilton, he knows how to work past them, maintain inside leverage and lock onto Boyd without giving up a big play:
Hilton is no stranger to working against stacked or close receiver groups designed to confuse and cross up cornerbacks. One of my favorite unsung plays of the year was a major communication switch between Joe Haden and Hilton against the Falcons.
Watch the top of the formation as Julio Jones motions to get behind the slot receiver before he starts his route. Jones is one of the most prolific receivers in the NFL and this motion was done to get him free of Haden for a corner route.
But you can see as soon as the motion starts, Haden talks to Hilton and the two switch off — they were prepared for this play. Jones does get to run against Hilton, but Sean Davis covers the back end of the route while Hilton stays on Jones' hip pocket to make a difficult window for Matt Ryan to fit the pass through, forcing an incomplete pass:
Hilton is always ready for whatever he's needed for in Keith Butler's defense. When I talk with him during the season, Hilton's always locked in with what opponents are trying to do and how to counter that within his responsibilities.
Like when I asked about how he and the secondary prepared to face Jarvis Landry in their rematch with the Browns in 2018, considering how Landry was used a lot in the slot but was motioned around the field to create confusion in defenses:
"We knew they would move him around a lot," Hilton said about Landry and the Browns. "But we prepared for wherever they wanted to put their top guy that we had confidence in whatever man lines up with him, that he knew what to do."
If there's any wondering about how Hilton will perform this year, the confidence in his ability to play within this defense should be very high. As a defender in the middle of the field, he was asked to fill a wider variety of roles as the team tried to find answers without consistent coverage linebackers.
The additions of Devin Bush and Mark Barron should allow Hilton to be in a more pure slot role and boost his chances at making more plays on the ball.
MORE CARTER'S CLASSROOM:
June 12: Eli Rogers fights for job
June 11: Don't forget Cameron Sutton
June 10: James Conner's zone vision
June 7: How good can Bud Dupree be?
