2012 NFL Draft: Why the Houston Texans Should Draft Stephen Hill

The Houston Texans are in desperate need of finding a playmaking wide receiver who can contribute in conjunction with Andre Johnson in this year's draft. Last season, Andre Johnson's hamstring injuries exposed the weak depth the Texans had at the receiver position, and made clear the fact that they would have to address that need in the draft. 

Johnson, also, is growing older and his days as an elite wide receiver may be numbered. Therefore, the Texans should look to find a player who can contribute right away, and also become Johnson's heir-apparent.

There are a bevy of receivers who could immediately make their presence felt in the NFL when the Texans draft: Kendall Wright, Rueben Randle, Mohamed Sanu, to name a few. Even TE Coby Fleener could be a dangerous receiving threat.

There is only one player, however, who I could see becoming the Texans next number one wide receiver: Stephen Hill.

Hill is a freak of nature. At 6'4, Hill runs an incredibly fast 40-yard dash time of 4.36, and he also has one of the highest verticals of the wide receiver prospects. Hill can outrun and out-jump almost every single cornerback in the NFL. While his skills are no where near as refined, Hill's natural talents reminds me very much of A.J. Green.

Green seemed like he came down with nearly every single deep ball thrown to him last season, and his exceptional size and speed played a huge part of that. With work, Hill can become that player for the Texans.

Hill is also a beast with the ball in his hands. His speed allows him to break away from defenders, and he is also proficient at breaking tackles. His size alone makes him difficult to tackle, but he also has a very strong stiff-arm. When Hill catches the ball, he could provide the big-plays that the Texans were lacking from their wide receivers when Andre was hurt.

In addition to his freakish athleticism, Hill brings something to the table that is necessary in the Texans' offense: blocking skills. Hill is from Georgia Tech, a triple-option team that ran the ball over 70 percent of the time. In that offense, he was just as an effective receiver as he was a blocker. As a wide receiver, Hill has an unusual love for blocking, and he shows great technique when he does. He consistently gets under defenders, and his size and strength allow him to easily drive his opponents backwards. 

This is huge for the Texans, as their offense is reliant upon their rushing game. They need receivers who can block as well as catch, and Hill certainly fits that mold.

Like all athletes, however, Hill has his flaws. While he has displayed exceptional pass-catching ability and has shown that he can pluck the ball out of the air, he is notorious for dropping easy catches. He is great at making difficult catches, but he sometimes falls asleep on the easy ones and lets them fall through his grasp.

Hill should be able to move past this problem, as he has shown that he has very good hands. This is a problem the Texans' coaching staff would have to focus on, and they probably would be able to fix it.

Also, Hill does not have a lot of experience running routes. This is not because he is a poor route runner, but more of the fault of the type of offense that Georgia Tech ran. Georgia Tech primarily runs the ball, and they do not usually have their receivers run conventional routes. Instead, much like they utilized Calvin Johnson, they had Hill solely run deep routes. Hill was such a dominant force going deep that there was no reason for GT to use him otherwise.

However, when Hill starts playing in the NFL, he will need improve his route running capabilities. He has very quick feet, makes good cuts and he is agile; learning to improve his routes should not physically be a problem. Also, Hill will be able to learn from one of the best in the game, Andre Johnson, in the offseason, and there is no doubt that he will significantly improve.

While Hill is a great athlete on the field, he is just as good of a person off the field. He has the type of personality that the Texans love to see in their players, and he is a great locker room presence. He is also known as a hard-worker, and he strives everyday to make himself a better football player. With this determination, Hill should be able to work out the kinks in his game, and hopefully become the elite football player that his athletic skills should allow him to be. 

Hill is an outstanding athlete with a tremendous upside. With time, he could become a star receiver in the NFL. The Texans need to fill the void they have at the wide receiver position, and Stephen Hill would be the perfect player for them to draft.