Jaylen Hill: A strong case to make the 53-man roster

After another convincing performance against the Bills, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jaylen Hill has likely secured his place on the 53-man roster.

With a limited number of picks in the NFL draft, it can be easy for teams to overlook players, especially when they are from smaller schools. That was the case with cornerback Jaylen Hill.

The rookie cornerback did not get the call during the 2017 NFL draft. He was one of the many players to go undrafted this year. With that comes limited opportunities. Teams will call, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. Most of the time these players are shuffling between teams and practice squads just to get a chance to play.

Only one team called Jaylen Hill after the NFL draft and it was the Baltimore Ravens. They brought him in for a tryout during rookie minicamp and he was signed shortly after. Since then, Hill has taken advantage of just about every opportunity he’s seen this offseason.

The slot corner spot seemed locked up this offseason. After an impressive rookie season, Tavon Young was looking to continue his success in 2017. Behind him, fellow draft pick Maurice Canady was making strides in training camp. But when both went down with knee injuries, it was a next man up mentality. And as awful as it was to see these two miss the entire season, it’s opened up the door for Jaylen Hill and he’s exceeded expectations.

Coming into the third preseason game last night, Hill ranked as one of the top preseason cornerbacks.

If you thought the first two games were flukes, think again. Hill continued to impress, and in my opinion, put together his best performance to date last night. He finished with three total tackles, two passes defended and this interception on T.J. Yates:

Add the interception on to Hill’s impressive preseason stat line.

It was a terrible throw by Yates (shocker) but Hill took full advantage of the play. It set up the eventual go-ahead score that put the Ravens in the win column for the third time this preseason.

Hill is a tough-nosed corner that flat out makes plays. He’s shown excellent cover skills even for his 5-10 frame. In 20 passes thrown his way, Hill has only given up eight receptions for 83 yards. Even if he gives up the catch, there isn’t a chance for the wide receiver breakaway after. Hill’s proven to be just as good of a tackler as he is a cover corner.

The Bottom Line

Hill is another example of how good the Ravens are at finding talented undrafted free agents. Make no mistake about it, this isn’t just luck. The scouts and other player personnel know what they are looking for in these players. The Ravens do not get enough credit for this.

There hasn’t been another corner that’s rivaled Hill for the slot corner position this preseason. You have to think he is the front-runner going heading into the regular season. Hill is not just a feel good story anymore, he’s a set to be a legitimate contributor this season. It doesn’t even matter that he lacks experience, Hill has proven he can play and that’s all the Ravens need to see.

Next: 5 Ravens players that helped themselves against the Bills

Barring any injury, Hill is a lock for the Ravens 53-man roster, there’s no question about it.