Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Fitterer was in the Seahawks front office when they drafted Hill in the third round of the 2017 draft, hoping the Michigan safety could add to a pretty good secondary.
At the time, Hill wasn't sure what he was walking into. While this weekend is spent with rookies of varying degrees of promise, he was suddenly teammates with players such as safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, and cornerback Richard Sherman.
"That was an incredible learning experience for me," Hill said. "When I got there, it was fun for me, because I had seen these guys on TV, and you couldn't help being a little star-struck. But they were cool, and genuine, and wanted to help young guys coming in. There was a real 'each one teach one' thing there, and they definitely did that.
"Having those guys around showed me how to approach the game, and how seriously you have to take it."
He admitted seeing the transition away from the "Legion of Boom" was strange. Chancellor retired after the 2017 season because of a neck injury. Thomas was gone a year later, in dramatic fashion, flipping off coach Pete Carroll as he was carted off with a season-ending leg injury.
Suddenly, Hill was in position for a larger role, only to have the addition of new faces and his own injuries complicate things. That left him waiting for the phone to ring in free agency, and it didn't until after the draft when he got the invitation to show the Panthers what he could offer.
From the Panthers' perspective, having the opportunity at a free look at a rangy safety who has some cover skills and good speed was worth a shot.