Michigan Player Comparison: Dax Hill's Five-Star Talent Measures Up To Peppers

In our series looking at how current starters compare to former greats, Dax Hill finds himself in rare company with Jabrill Peppers.

Players as complete physically as Michigan sophomore safety Daxton Hill are rare in college football, a jack of all trades with the potential to master all of them. 

It’s one thing to have all of the tools needed to dominate from multiple positions in the defensive backfield, it’s another thing to possess them at an elite level. Simply put, it’s difficult to look back through Michigan’s storied tradition on the defensive side of the ball and find a former Wolverine similar. 

Comparisons can extend beyond physical or style of play likeness, however. For instance, an examination of the intense expectations shouldered by a consensus five-star recruit against a predecessor of similar hype can offer insight on the impact that Hill will need to make in order to live up to the superlatives used when spoken of by coaches and teammates. 

"He’s maniacal in speed, focus and intensity” Michigan assistant coach Jay Harbaugh said of Hill after he saw his first extended playing time on the defensive side of the ball in a 52-0 win against Rutgers. “If you give him something to do, he’ll get it done."

Whether as a gunner on punt coverage, catching a 25-yard pass for a first down on a fake punt against Army, making six tackles, including one for loss, and breaking up a pass from the nickel spot against Iowa, or recording eight tackles and intercepting a pass in his first start at safety against Indiana, Hill displayed the capability to ‘get it done’ no matter where U-M’s coaching staff placed him on the field.

Hill is the highest-rated and most athletic defensive prospect to don the Maize and Blue since the Wolverines secured the commitment of five-star defensive back Jabrill Peppers as a member of the 2014 class. Although it appears that Hill will grow into more of a traditional safety as his collegiate career progresses, the expectations that will surround him during his time in Ann Arbor and his ability to effectively fill numerous roles based on pure athleticism alone is analogous to Peppers.

Although both are listed 6-1, Peppers has the overall size advantage, weighing 210 pounds as a freshman compared to Hill’s 190-pound rookie frame. Like Hill, Peppers started his collegiate career as nickel cornerback and special teams standout, but would later make the move closer to the line of scrimmage as a viper in defensive coordinator Don Brown’s scheme. Hill’s future will likely be as a centerfield free safety, but more so because of his coverage and ball-hawking abilities rather than a lack of size or fear of contact. 

Like Peppers, Hill has is explosive when closing the downhill gap on opposing ball carriers and is an aggressive, sure tackler when he arrives. Because of his size and proximity to the line of scrimmage from his hybrid safety/linebacker spot, Peppers' prolific work in opposing backfields will be difficult for Hill to match as a back-line defender, although Hill has shown the propensity to make plays behind the line of scrimmage when the opportunity arises. 

Peppers is fast, running a 4.46 40-yard dash at the 2016 NFL Combine, but Hill has rare speed, with a 4.3 40 while still a senior in high school that makes him one of the fastest straight-line sprinters in program history. Also unique is Hill’s potential to cover even the quickest wide receivers from his safety spot because of his exceptional agility, hip flexibility and ball-tracking abilities. Also an exceedingly fluid athlete, Peppers was good in coverage but not quite at the level that Hill is expected to reach. 

In terms of versatility, Hill’s foot speed allows him to flourish on special teams as a gunner on punt coverage while Peppers shiftiness shone through as one of the nation’s top punt returners during his time at Michigan. Peppers also grew into a periodic offensive role, primarily out of the wildcat formation, something the Wolverines haven’t unleashed yet with Hill—although his natural talents could prove intriguing.

Besides his physical tools, Hill possesses a high football IQ that helped him learn and adjust to multiple positions at the collegiate level quickly. Michigan coaches and teammates lauded Peppers’ football smarts and ability to quickly learn and juggle both defensive and offensive concepts, and Hill’s ability to quickly pick up complicated defensive schemes has already earned him similar praise.

“He picks stuff up really fast,” U-M head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Hill during his freshman season.

“I think just the game knowledge part he has grasped the fastest,” junior linebacker Cam McGrone said of Hill. “I think he’s probably the fastest freshman that I know that has caught onto this defense.”

As far as on-field performance goes, Hill’s solid first-season efforts surpass Peppers’ injury-riddled rookie campaign. Peppers saw immediate playing time for the Wolverines, but was hindered by early setbacks including a leg injury suffered against Appalachian State that ended his season—he finished the 2014 season with eight tackles and one six-yard punt return. Hill, on the other hand, proved durable as a youngster appearing in all 13 games, and he hit his stride in the season’s home stretch, registering 19 tackles and an interception over the last three games after being inserted into a starting safety spot.

Overall, he completed his first collegiate campaign with 36 stops including three in the backfield, three pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries, caught a 25-yard pass and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors by Pro Football Focus.

Peppers rebounded with a monster redshirt freshman season, and over the next two seasons filled the stat sheet like few in program history have while stockpiling a laundry list of conference and national accolades. He finished his collegiate career with 125 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, 11 pass breakups, one forced fumble and one interception.

Offensively, he rushed for 239 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries (8.9 yards per carry), caught 10 passes for 82 yards (8.2 yards per reception), averaged 13.1 yards and scored once on 39 punt returns and averaged 26.8 yards on 27 kickoff returns.

A Heisman finalist as a redshirt sophomore, his extensive hardware collection includes consensus first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year honors alongside the Paul Hornung Award given to the nation’s most versatile player in 2016. He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first team All-Big Ten in 2015.

Looking back at the numbers and awards earned by Peppers, the bar set for Hill is high. The question remains, did Peppers live up to the hype? It’s hard to imagine a defensive back accomplishing much more in today’s college football landscape.

There is one important box that remained unchecked, however. Despite recording seven tackles and intercepting the first pass of his career in his final game against Ohio State, Michigan was unable to thwart the Buckeyes during his time in Ann Arbor. Barring something unforeseen, Hill is almost certain to accumulate his fair share of stats and recognition, but none of them can take the place of a legacy-cementing performance in a Wolverine victory over OSU.