As the Jets journey towards the draft in April, I will examine prospects that could potentially be on the Jets’ draft board. Please feel free to leave your thoughts or suggest a prospect in the comments.

College: Florida International
Measurables: 5’10″ 184 lbs
Projected Round: 3rd-4th

Positives

Hilton has a nice burst off the line and will quickly devour any cushion overmatched safeties or slow corners will allow him. He has excellent hands and fluidity and is a threat to make plays after the catch. He is willing to go in traffic for a ball and will extend in order to make the tough catches. He keeps his eye on the ball as it travels towards his arms and he can track well over his shoulders. Hilton can be utilized all over the field be it in the slot, outside, in motion or wherever. His agility allows him to avoid linebackers and find soft spots in the zone. He understands how to space himself properly and he can make strong cuts while extending his arms to create seperation.

His speed, vision, balance, and cuts make him a dangerous threat after the catch and he isn’t afraid to leave defenders lay in the wake of his Road Runner-esqueness. He can brush off arm tackles and still maintain his vision to shake off remaining defenders. He is well-versed in the wildcat formation and is extremely quick and elusive as a returner. He is often willing to block much larger defenders and can open up lanes for teammates down the field utilizing pretty much whatever he can to contain would-be defenders. 

Areas of Improvement

At FIU, Hilton was rarely challenged with press coverage and will need to show he can withstand and free himself from being jammed at the line. He will occasionally take an extra step before making cuts and defenders may be able to knock him down because of his small frame. He does not move the football to his outside hand consistently and can have the ball ripped out by stronger defenders. Stronger defenders may also push him to the ground in blocking situations. He can struggle with catches away from his body and he doesn’t have the ability to snatch the ball out of the air though he will give you effort.

Analysis

Despite playing for a smaller program, Hilton did have some impressive games against larger competition such as Louisville (highlights below) however, teams will be a bit wary of his frame. There is no question he has the right attitude but there will be defenders out there who will knock him to the ground. Furthermore, his lack of experience with press coverage is a bit concerning and he will have to adapt quickly in order to have an impact. The majority of what he needs to work on is correctable and he has shown excellent work ethic in the past so there is little reason not to believe that Hilton should be able to have an impact for some team at the next level.

Given the Jets expect Burress to depart, the Jets could use another wide receiver. It may not necessarily be Hilton though because of his size (the Jets would have a relatively small receiving corp with Turner at 6’5″ being the tallest). However, Hilton is a speedster, something the Jets were lacking this past season, and he is another all-purpose threat that can give defenses’ a lot of grief. A lot of what happens though depends on what the Jets do with their first two selections however, if they’re looking for a receiver later on, Hilton wouldn’t be a bad choice although height could play a factor into the decision.

Hilton Highlights

From thejetsblog.com. Please read the complete article and let us know what you think below.