Michigan Football: Why Daxton Hill should move to corner

Reason No. 3

As a former five-star recruit who has already been productive in college, Daxton Hill will likely have his eye on the NFL either after this season or next.

While Hill has said he prefers playing safety, he could make himself a little richer by playing corner. Let’s take a look at two former five-star recruits in Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who were both versatile defenders like Hill in college.

At Florida State, Ramsey played corner, free safety, and Star (nickel) before exclusively playing corner as a junior. He eventually became the 5th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars and has become one of the best corners in the NFL.

At Alabama, Fitzpatrick also played the Star position before settling in at safety. Fitzpatrick was the 11th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins. He has become one of the NFL’s best safeties since being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ramsey was drafted higher than Fitzpatrick and corners are usually drafted higher than safeties. Corner is seen as the more premium position. In the 2021 NFL Draft, there were six corners before there was one safety selected.

Not only do corners get drafted higher than safeties, but they also get paid more.

Jalen Ramsey is the highest-paid corner in the NFL with a 5 year $100 million ($71 million guaranteed) contract. Minkah Fitzpatrick is still on his rookie deal, but the highest-paid safety is Justin Simmons of the Denver Broncos at 4 years $61 million and $35 million guaranteed. In terms of average annual value (AAV), the top five salaries among secondary players are all corners.

By moving to corner this season, Daxton Hill can improve Michigan football’s defense and give the team a better chance to win. He can also position himself to be drafted higher and make more money in the long run.