Carolina Panthers: Don’t forget about Stephen Hill
Now that the Carolina Panthers season has come to an end, it’s time to transition our focus from the field to the rosters. Trade talks are soon to be in full swing, free agency is just ahead of us, and the NFL draft is right around the corner.
In short, this is the period in which everyone from general mangers to die-hard fans begin evaluating their team’s current roster from top to bottom.
For the Carolina Panthers, the biggest needs are all too obvious. Offensive line improvements are an absolute must. After that, wide receiver improvements must be made in order to take attention off of Kelvin Benjamin.
Last offseason, there was an absolute overhaul at the wide receiver position. Long-time Panther, Steve Smith, was dismissed in a rather messy divorce, Brandon LaFell made his way to New England, and Ted Ginn jumped ship to Arizona.
Thanks to poor salary cap management by former general manager, Marty Hurney, current GM, David Gettleman, wasn’t left with much to work with. As a result, Cam Newton wound up not having much to work with.
Even though big-name players were lacking at the wide receiver position for the Panthers, Kelvin Benjamin has emerged as a future star – if he’s not one already. Undrafted free-agent, Philly Brown, out of Ohio State came on toward the end of the season and looks as though he could be a valuable part of this team in the coming seasons.
With so many questions at this position, a lot of talk has been about what the ideal characteristic for a wide receiver would be. It seems to have led to a split decision – either a tall receiver or a fast receiver.
What if I told you the Panthers could have both characteristics in one player? Now, what if I told you they already have him?
Oct 20, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (37) defends a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver Stephen Hill (84) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Patriots 30-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Meet Stephen Hill.
Stephen Hill was the very under-the-radar signing made during the middle of this past season. Until that point, Hill had spent his entire young career with the New York Jets in a rather unspectacular fashion.
While Hill possesses elite speed and athletic ability, he has been criticized for his high volume of drops. To be fair, he spent his entire Jet career catching passes from Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith, so I’m not sure you could make a conclusive decision on his hands just yet.
Even so, Stephen Hill will be spending the offseason working with Ricky Proehl, who is the Panthers’ top-notch wide receivers coach. If anyone can fix a drop problem, it’s Mr. Proehl.
Quite possibly the most exciting aspect of Hill is his height. At 6’4, he’s only one inch shorter than Carolina’s mammoth receiver, Kelvin Benjamin. Just imagine: 6’5 Kelvin Benjamin lined up to the left with 6’4 Stephen Hill on the right. That would be quite a tall order for opposing defenses (pun intended).
When you consider Stephen Hill’s height and the fact that he weighs in at 215 pounds, it’s almost impossible to believe that his 40 yard dash time was officially clocked at 4.36 seconds.
Yes, he’s a big-bodied receiver that runs a 4.36 40-yard dash. What’s not to love?
I, for one, can’t wait to see what a guy like Stephen Hill looks like after a whole offseason with an elite receivers coach in Ricky Proehl.
Hill and Kelvin Benjamin could wind up being the most feared receiving duo in the NFL in just a few year’s time.