The kid that should have been a Brown

[calfoxwc]

I do love the draft... but this is my only misgiving...

 

Sammie Lee Hill (DT) Height: 6'4"Weight: 329College: StillmanConference: SouthernHometown: West Blockton, ALHigh School: West BlocktonView Combine Page >>

Combine Results:40 Yard Dash : 5.17 secondsBench Press : 27.0 repsVertical Jump : 28.0 inchesBroad Jump : 109.0 inches3 Cone Drill : 7.89 seconds

Selected by: Detroit Lions

Round: 4

Pick (Overall): 15 (115)

Pick Analysis: At the Senior Bowl, Hill left everyone talking. He's big, strong and fast. When you take a player from a small school like Stillman, there's a learning curve. Hill needed a destination where he could develop, and that's a strong suit of new Lions coach Jim Schwartz. This is a Cortland Finnegan-type pick -- a player Schwartz helped to develop at Tennessee.

Overview Hill is regarded by many to be the premier small college prospect at his position. The four-year starter lined up at left defensive end as a junior and senior, but with explosive burst penetrating the gaps and wide frame, many teams feel that he is better suited to play inside at tackle at the next level, his original college position. His ability to shut down the running game saw him produce 44.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage during his career, setting the school career record.

 

 

Hill is much more than your typical defensive lineman, though. He served as a tight end in goal-line blocking situations, where he scored on a 16-yard reception and also on a two-point conversion. He competed as an up-back and wedge buster on special teams, as the 330-pounder was seen rumbling with his first kickoff return as a senior. He also got to drop back in coverage as a giant middle linebacker, racing 38 yards into the end zone for a touchdown with an interception as a junior.

 

 

At West Blockton High School, Hill was an All-Conference and All-Area gridiron selection. He competed on both lines, in addition to seeing time at tight end and linebacker. He saw playing time as a place-kicker. In addition to his football exploits, he also excelled on the basketball court, where he actually got more attention from those recruiters than in football.

 

 

Hill's high school coach convinced the Stillman College staff to offer him a full scholarship and the then 270-pounder enrolled at the university in 2004, red-shirting that season. He lined up at strong-side defensive tackle in 2005, posting 39 tackles (13 solos) with 3.5 sacks and six stops for losses on defense. In brief action as a tight end, he also caught one pass for a 16-yard score.

 

 

As a sophomore, Hill appeared in 10 games as an interior lineman. He collected 41 tackles (15 solos) that included a pair of sacks and three pressures. He deflected thee passes and intercepted another. He also placed third on the team with nine stops behind the line of scrimmage.

 

 

With the arrival of new head coach Greg Thompson, Hill was shifted to left defensive end in 2007. The coaching staff felt the move was necessary, as it eliminated their best defensive player from having to deal with double-team blocking inside and also allowed him to shut down one half of the field. The move certainly paid off.

 

 

After posting 15 stops for loss during his first two seasons at tackle, the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first-team selection registered 14 stops for loss, along with 4.5 sacks, to go with 52 tackles (29 solos). He also caused four fumbles and returned a pass theft 38 yards for a touchdown.

 

 

He also put his life on the line in 2007. Hill and two other Stillman players were heading back to campus when they saw flames and smoke coming from a house. A young woman was frantically trying to flag down help. When they backed up and stopped, Cassandra Webb told them that her father, Curtis Webb Sr., was inside.

 

 

Hill tells it this way: "Sure enough, there was a lady outside saying that her father needs help. All we could do was put our hands over our faces and hope that we didn't get hurt. We looked up, and, well, it was a blessing that we could grab him and protect ourselves so we all were safe. We all grabbed hold of him and carried him out of the house. It's not a situation I ever thought I would be in, but that's the way I was raised. I was happy I did it."

 

 

Hill added, "There was a lot of media and press coming around after that happened. It was OK. I felt like I didn't need all that, because I would want somebody to do the same thing for my father or mother in the same situation. God blessed us in that situation. If it was me and my parents were in that situation, I would want somebody to help me."

 

 

Hill was again an All-SIAC first-team choice in 2008. In 11 games at left defensive end, he registered a career-high 59 tackles (32 solos), as he led the team with 7.5 sacks and paced the league with 15.5 stops for loss. He also had a career-high eight pressures, including three that caused interceptions. He scored on a two-point conversion pass, deflected seven passes and recovered three fumbles.

 

 

High School Attended West Blockton (Ala.) High School...All-Conference and All-Area pick... Competed on both lines, in addition to seeing time at tight end and linebacker...Also saw playing time as a place-kicker...Also excelled on the basketball court, where he actually got more attention from those recruiters than in football.

 

 

[calfoxwc]

Tales: The Hunger of Sammie Lee Hill

by broncobear on Jan 27, 2009 11:00 AM MST in 2009 NFL Draft 30 comments

 

 

"…pick of the draft, the 325 lb. DE from football powerhouse Stillman, Sammie Lee Hill!"

 

Say what?

 

You bet. In an innovation that worked beyond their hopes, Greg Thompson, head coach of the Stillman football program, spoke to Dennis Conner, his OC, and they decided to try something new on defense. Their answer was Sammie Lee Hill, a very big, very versatile player with a lot of skills.

 

'I think I announced it at the press conference,' Thompson said. 'I knew he was a defensive player.'

 

Why wouldn’t he be? Mostly, because he could have been the next Shaq O’Neal. He had serious skills as a basketball player. And for all his size, Sammie Lee can jump. He can also play linebacker and tight end. He even played kicker. Oh, yes, and a little DT. So, why the move to DE?

 

 

 

Defensive coordinator Dennis Conner first had the idea. When Thompson took over as HC, Conner spoke to him and they decided that placing Hill to the outside would let him avoid double-teams and take ½ the field away from the running game. With Hill’s speed, he would always make it over to seal the outside.

 

“He was also a heck of a basketball player,” Conner said. “He's got good feet and good agility for his size.”

 

But it was on an extra-point attempt that Hill made the vast extent of his skills plain.

 

'He was the up-back on the PAT team,' Thompson said. 'We muffed the ball, and the kicker just threw it up blindly. Sammie reached back with his left hand and snagged the ball. Then he ran over two defenders for a two-point conversion.'

 

When asked if the experiment as a 325 lb. DE is working, Hill replied, “Yes, sir, I do. There's a lot less running the ball my way. They do not run the ball my way, pretty much.” Hill holds Warren Sapp has the player he models his game after. It’s a good place to start.

 

You might have caught the ‘sir’ in Hill’s response. It’s a normal part of his speech. Sammie Lee Hill was taught manners early by his momma, Gloria Hill, while growing up in West Blocton, Alabama.

 

“She's a caterer and the best cook in the world,” Hill said. “There's no way I got to be 325 pounds by looking at somebody else cook. I learned to feed myself at an early age.” It’s not all he learned.

 

He learned from her that character counts. He believes that this will matter when draft scouts look at his film and look at his record of achievements. This was his response when asked if he approved of Roger Goodell’s approach to minimal tolerance:

 

“Yes, sir, because if you are presenting money, a lot of money, to these players, character does play a big role. I'm sure that he doesn't want to go out there and pay these players all that money just so they can mess it up. I think that he's been handling it really well.”

 

Hill doesn’t let his beliefs stay on as a lot of easy talk. He is willing to put his life on the line for them. In fact, he already has. Hill and two other Stillman players were heading back to campus when they saw flames and smoke coming from a house. A young woman was frantically trying to flag down help. When they backed up and stopped, Cassandra Webb told them that her father, Curtis Webb Sr., was inside. Hill tells it this way:

 

“Sure enough, there was a lady outside saying that her father needs help. All we could do was put our hands over our faces and hope that we didn't get hurt. We looked up, and, well, it was a blessing that we could grab him and protect ourselves so we all were safe. We all grabbed hold of him and carried him out of the house. It's not a situation I ever thought I would be in, but that's the way I was raised. I was happy I did it.”

 

Hill added, “There was a lot of media and press coming around after that happened. It was OK. I felt like I didn't need all that, because I would want somebody to do the same thing for my father or mother in the same situation. God blessed us in that situation. If it was me and my parents were in that situation, I would want somebody to help me.”

 

When asked where he learned those values, his answer was simple. His momma taught him the values he lives in his life. Whatever happens this spring, Hill will always be successful because he’s successful as a man.

 

Hill, majored in health and secondary education, plans to graduate in May. He knows NFL scouts are watching his progress.

 

“My approach to my senior year (was) that I want to put in a lot of hard work and effort into what I'm doing, playing football and being a student, too,' Hill said. 'Being here made me better and more mature. I grew up at lot at Stillman. It made me into the man I think I'm going to be in the next couple of years.”

 

Maybe it did. But his upbringing made him into the man he will always be. So, if a team decides that they want a huge, run-stuffing DE with basketball jumps, linebacker feet, TE hands, ST skills and a mean jump shot, they might want to see if Sammie Hill is still on the board. He knows that being from a small school will play against him. Why did he go there?

 

“I was overlooked by a whole lot of schools, so my Defensive Coordinator kept calling and calling and that was the last place…(it was) my last chance to get a full school scholarship and play football in college.”

 

Hill was about 270 coming out of high school and some didn’t expect him to keep right on growing. He seems to be a little bit of a late bloomer. And now?

 

“6'4, about 325, and around a 5.00 flat.” Glenn Dorsey had a 5.2 40.

 

Hill is comfortable with the thought of playing the 3-4 or the 4-3, and at DE, DT or NT. Or tight end, for that matter. And although he’s at peace with the factors that weigh against him; coming from a small school and with a short record at his unusual position, he expects to be successful at the next level. Why?

 

“For my size, I have tremendous athletic ability, I would say. I am hungry to play NFL Football.” That’s a powerful statement from a man who clearly knows a lot about hunger.

 

 

[Guest Aloysius]

The Browns didn't need a 3rd round pick to nab him; they could have taken him at the top of the 4th round.

[calfoxwc]

I hate you, Al. GGG

 

The Lions did trade out of the pick,

 

but I still think the Browns should have taken him in the third round.

 

Dammit. @@