Seahawks pick Michigan safety Delano Hill in third round
Apr 28, 2017, 8:21 PM | Updated: 9:29 pm
Safety Delano Hill rose up draft boards after running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at the NFL combine. (AP)
(AP)
RENTON – The secondary is Seattle’s primary concern in the third round of the NFL Draft.
First, the Seahawks chose Shaquill Griffin with the first of its four third-round choices, No. 90 overall. Five picks later the Seahawks picked safety Delano Hill out of Michigan. He is 6 feet 1, 216 pounds and is touted for his strength playing at the line of scrimmage.
Hill was projected as a third-day pick in the NFL Draft prior to the scouting combine, but he was timed running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds. That’s blazing fast for a physical, in-the-box safety like Hill.
Seahawks draft tracker | 710Sports.com draft page
Seattle has not drafted a safety in the third round or higher since 2010, which was the first draft general manager John Schneider ran for the Seahawks. Seattle chose Earl Thomas in the first round that year with the No. 14 overall pick before choosing Kam Chancellor in the fifth round.
The Seahawks have drafted three safeties in the previous six drafts, but none have been chosen in any round higher than the fifth.
The selection of Hill is another step in restocking a secondary has long been considered the backbone of Seattle’s defense, but the Legion of Boom is on the brink of potential change.
Chancellor is entering the final year of the contract extension he signed with the team in 2012 while cornerback Richard Sherman was the subject of trade talks over the past month.
