Daxton Jor-El Hill (born September 29, 2000) is an American professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
for the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...
, where he was named an
All-Big Ten selection. He was selected by the Bengals in the first round of the
2022 NFL draft
The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...
.
Early life
Hill attended
Booker T. Washington High School in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
. As a senior in 2019, he was the
Gatorade Football Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...
for Oklahoma. He played in the 2019
U.S. Army All-American Game. A five star recruit, he committed to play
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
before switching to the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...
and then back to Michigan.
College career
As a true freshman at Michigan in 2019, Hill played in 13 games with three starts and had 36 tackles and one
interception
In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...
. As a sophomore in 2020, he started six games, recording 46 tackles and one interception. He returned to Michigan as a starter in 2021 and received first-team all conference honors. Hill declared for the
2022 NFL draft
The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...
following the 2021 season.
Professional career
2022
The
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
selected Hill in the first round (31st overall) of the
2022 NFL draft
The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...
. He was the second safety drafted in 2022 behind
Kyle Hamilton
Kyle Devin Hamilton (born March 16, 2001) is an American professional American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Not ...
.
On May 18, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Hill to a four-year, $11.66 million
contract
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
that includes a
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $5.66 million and is fully guaranteed at signing.
Hill was eased into his rookie year by Bengals defensive coordinator
Lou Anarumo
Lou Anarumo (born August 18, 1966) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive backs coach at Purdue under Joe Tiller and ...
, backing up
Jessie Bates at
free safety
Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...
, and playing as a
gunner on special teams snaps alongside
Stanley Morgan.
In week 15 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
, Hill would play his first game as a starter, switching positions to
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
due to both regular starter
Mike Hilton and backup
Jalen Davis
Jalen Davis (born February 2, 1996) is an American professional football cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah State Aggies.
Early life
Davis was born in Hawaii, bu ...
suffering injuries the week prior. Hill played in a
nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan ...
role for the game, recording 5 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles.
2023
In his second season, Hill was named as the starting free safety. During the Bengals' week 1 loss against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
, Hill recorded his first career interception off of quarterback
Deshaun Watson
Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national ...
.
Hill had a career high in tackles in week 2 against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
, making 12 total tackles, nine of which were solo.
Hill's first career sack came during the week 3 game against the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
, and he was credited with another half-sack in week 5 against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
.
2024
Entering his third season, it was announced that Hill would be converting into a
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
.
Following preseason, it was announced that Hill had beat out
DJ Turner for the starting cornerback role.
He suffered a torn ACL in week 5 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on October 8, 2024.
Personal life
Hill's middle name
Jor-El
Jor-El is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, Jor-El first appeared in the Superman (comic strip), ''Superman'' newspaper comic strip in 1939.
Jor-El is Supe ...
was taken from the comic book character of the same name. His brother,
Justice Hill, played running back for the
Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...
and was drafted by the Ravens in the fourth round of the
2019 NFL draft
The 2019 NFL draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. The first round was held ...
.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
References
External links
Cincinnati Bengals bioMichigan Wolverines bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Dax
2000 births
Living people
Players of American football from Tulsa, Oklahoma
Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) alumni
American football safeties
American football cornerbacks
Michigan Wolverines football players
Cincinnati Bengals players