Underrated Hill leads Seahawks’ LB pass rush

By Connor Byrne  |   Monday, June 26, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Seattle Seahawks
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Outside of the state of Washington, even the most diehard football fans probably can't name the Seattle Seahawks' starting strong-side linebacker. For those that can, the name LeRoy Hill springs forth. Quietly, Hill is among the NFL's elite pass-rushing linebackers.

As a rookie last season, Hill surprised. He ended up being a key instrument in the NFC champs' defense, registering 72 tackles and an eye-catching 7 ½ sacks. Without question, those numbers came as quite a shock to most, since Hill was a third-round pick in the 2005 draft. Rarely do mid-round picks like Hill make such large impacts in their first season.

Despite the ignorance of most pro football fans to recognize Hill, many supporters of the Clemson Tigers' program can attest to the 23-year-old's greatness.

In each of his final two seasons leading the Tigers' defense, Hill accumulated eight sacks. He also finished his career with consecutive All-ACC defensive honors. Yet somehow, the 229-pounder wasn't considered worthy enough to be selected in the first two rounds of the '05 draft. Well, the loss of 31 other franchises has been the Seahawks' gain.

Once he left Clemson, the program's followers knew they had witnessed one of the school's all-time best linebackers. Former productive pros like Levon Kirkland, Ed McDaniel and Anthony Simmons may have been surpassed by Hill at Clemson, and they could one day be outdone by the second-year man at football's highest level. Coincidentally, both Kirkland and Simmons are former Seahawks.

Even though Hill looks to be an elite pass-rusher for years to come, he still hasn't garnered the recognition he deserves.

When most think of the Seahawks' linebacking corps, offseason acquisition Julian Peterson is the first that comes to mind. That's for good reason, though, as the ex-San Francisco 49er has been among the league's foremost linebackers for parts of his six-year career.

The second name that comes to mind before Hill is his fellow pro sophomore, Lofa Tatupu. The former USC standout was drafted by the Seahawks one round before Hill, in the second. Much to the Seahawks' delight, Tatupu displayed brilliance as a rookie and should continue developing into a big-time performer.

Clearly, between Tatupu and Hill, the Seahawks stumbled upon two future great linebackers at bargain prices.

This season, the Seattle Seahawks are among a handful of teams widely-considered as favorites to make a run at Super Bowl XLI. If Seattle does, indeed, wish to appear in its second straight championship game, Hill will need to be a major contributor throughout the season. All signs point to him doing so. At least, that's what the Seahawks are hoping.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

Get more on LeRoy Hill at Realfootball365.com
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