Mike Hilton
refer to caption
Hilton with the Steelers in 2019
No. 21 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1994-03-09) March 9, 1994 (age 29)
Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Georgia)
College:Ole Miss (2012–2015)
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:447
Sacks:10.5
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:6
Pass deflections:51
Interceptions:12
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Michael Hilton Jr. (born March 9, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Hilton has also been a member of the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.

College career

2012

Hilton began attending the University of Mississippi in 2012. After sitting out the Rebels' season-opener against Central Arkansas, Hilton made his collegiate debut in Week 2 against UTEP. He recorded his first two career tackles the following week as Ole Miss lost to Texas. Hilton made his first career start on October 6, 2012, against Texas A&M, finishing with three solo tackles, a forced fumble, and two sacks of Aggies quarterback Johnny Manziel as the Rebels lost 27–30. In Week 8, he recorded a season-high six combined tackles and had the first two pass deflections of his career, helping the Rebels defeat Arkansas 30–27.[1] He played in 12 games as a freshman, starting four and finishing with 33 combined tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.[2]

2013

Hilton started the Ole Miss Rebels' season-opener against Vanderbilt at their "Huskie" position (hybrid strong safety). He finished the 39–35 victory with five total tackles, two of which were for a loss. On October 5, 2013, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles during a 22–30 loss to Auburn. On November 16, 2013, Hilton made his first career interception to go along with four combined tackles as the Rebels defeated Troy 51–21. He finished the season with 52 combined tackles (37 solo), 5.5 tackles for a loss, four pass deflections, a sack, and a forced fumble in 11 games and 11 starts.[3]

2014

In the Ole Miss Rebels' season-opening 35–13 victory over Boise State, Hilton recorded a season-high nine combined tackles. On September 13, 2014, he collected four combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first interception of the season in a 56–15 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. On October 25, 2014, he accumulated eight combined tackles and made his third interception of the season in a 7–10 loss to #24 LSU. Hilton finished his junior season with career-high 71 combined tackles (48 solo), four tackles for a loss, three interceptions, and seven pass deflections in 13 starts and 13 games.[4] He led the team with 71 tackles and started 11 games at cornerback and two games as rover.[2]

2015

As a senior, Hilton was given the #38 jersey This number holds special significance at Ole Miss and is only given to a player who embodies the spirit of former Rebels defensive back Chucky Mullins, who in 1989 became paralyzed after making a head-first tackle that shattered four vertebrae in his cervical spine.[5]

In a 73–22 victory over Fresno State in Week 2, Hilton collected six combined tackles (one for a loss), a forced fumble, and half a sack while starting at rover. On October 10, 2015, he recorded four combined tackles (three for a loss), a pass deflection, and his first interception of the season in a 52–3 victory over New Mexico State. The following week, the Rebels were defeated by Memphis with Hilton making a career-high 11 combined tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, a pass deflection, and an interception. He finished his senior season with 70 combined tackles (49 solo), 12.5 tackles for a loss, 11 pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions in 11 starts and 13 games.[6]

Hilton finished his college career with 226 combined tackles (156 solo), 25.5 tackles for a loss, 24 pass deflections, six interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 3.5 sacks in 49 games and 39 starts.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coming out of Ole Miss, Hilton was projected to go undrafted and be a priority free agent by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine and attended Ole Miss' pro day on March 28, 2016. Team representatives and scouts from all 32 NFL teams were present at Ole Miss' pro day to scout one of the most talented groups in school history, one that included Hilton, Laquon Treadwell, Laremy Tunsil, Robert Nkemdiche, Cody Core, Chad Kelly, Evan Engram, Fahn Cooper and ten other prospects.[7] He was ranked as the 27th-best free safety prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com. Hilton received positive reviews from scouts for his versatile ability to play multiple positions in college, decent coverage skills, gritty tackling ability, reaction quickness, and ability to track balls well downfield. NFL scouts thought his ability to produce a professional career was greatly hindered by his lack of size.[8]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 8+3⁄4 in
(1.75 m) 		178 lb
(81 kg) 		29+3⁄4 in
(0.76 m) 		8+5⁄8 in
(0.22 m)		 4.55 s 1.59 s 2.67 s 4.19 s 6.86 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 13 reps
All values from Ole Miss' Pro Day[9]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On May 1, 2016, Hilton was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars following the 2016 NFL Draft.[10]

Throughout training camp, Hilton competed with Aaron Colvin, Dwayne Gratz, Peyton Thompson, Josh Johnson, Demetrius McCray, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, and Nick Marshall for a job as a backup cornerback.[11] On August 29, 2016, the Jaguars released Hilton as a part of their final roster cuts.[12]

New England Patriots

On September 6, 2016, Hilton was signed to the practice squad of the New England Patriots.[13] He was released by the team on September 14, 2016.[14]

Pittsburgh Steelers

2016

On December 13, 2016, Hilton was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad.[15] Hilton spent the remainder of his rookie season on the Steelers' practice squad and did not appear in any games in 2016. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Steelers on January 24, 2017.[16] He reunited with his former teammate Senquez Golson whom he played with and backed up at Ole Miss.

2017

Hilton entered training camp competing with William Gay and Senquez Golson for the job as the starting nickelback. Hilton was named the starting nickelback to begin the regular season.[17]

External videos
video icon Mike Hilton records a speedy third sack of the game
video icon Hilton plucks tipped pass with one handed interception

He made his regular season debut during the Steelers' 18–17 season-opening victory over the Cleveland Browns and finished the game with two combined tackles. The following week, he earned his first career start and recorded a season-high nine combined tackles during a 26–9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. On October 1, 2017, Hilton collected four solo tackles, earned his first career sack, and made his first career interception off of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco during the Steelers' 26–9 victory.[18] On December 25, 2017, Hilton recorded six solo tackles as well as three sacks on Houston Texans quarterbacks T. J. Yates and Taylor Heinicke during the Steelers' 34–6 victory, earning him American Football Conference (AFC) Defensive Player of the Week honors.[19][20] Hilton finished the season with 64 combined tackles (48 solo), six pass deflections, four sacks, and two interceptions in 16 games and four starts.[21] Hilton received an overall grade of 83.6 from Pro Football Focus (PFF), which ranked as the 28th-best grade among all cornerbacks in 2017.[22]

2018

External videos
video icon Mike Hilton recovers ball after Carr’s pass slips

Hilton changed his jersey number from No. 31 to No. 28 after it became available when Sean Davis and Joe Haden also changed numbers.[23] Head coach Mike Tomlin retained Hilton as the primary nickelback to begin the regular season and also named him the fifth backup cornerback, behind Haden, Artie Burns, Coty Sensabaugh, and Cameron Sutton.[24] On September 24, 2018, Hilton made five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 30–27 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hilton sustained an elbow injury during the game and was subsequently inactive for the Steelers’ Week 4 loss against the Ravens.[25] In Week 14, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles during a 24–21 loss at the Oakland Raiders. He finished the season with 57 combined tackles (44 solo), eight pass deflections, one sack, and one interception in 15 games and two starts.[21] He received an overall grade of 69.9 from PFF, which ranked as the 43rd-best grade among cornerbacks in 2018.[26]

2019

In Week 5 against the Ravens, Hilton recorded his first interception of the season off Lamar Jackson in the 23–26 overtime loss.[27] In Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, Hilton forced a fumble on running back Mark Walton which was recovered by teammate Steven Nelson in the 27–14 win.[28] In Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills, Hilton recovered a fumble forced by teammate T. J. Watt on running back Devin Singletary during the 10–17 loss.[29]

2020

On March 18, 2020, the Steelers placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Hilton. He signed the tender on June 12, 2020.[30]

In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Hilton led the team with eight tackles, recorded his first sack of the season on Jeff Driskel, and recovered a fumble during the 26–21 win.[31] In Week 3 against the Texans, Hilton recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Deshaun Watson during the 28–21 win.[32] In Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Hilton again led the team with eight tackles and sacked Carson Wentz once during the 38–29 win.[33] In Week 14 against the Bills, Hilton intercepted a pass thrown by Josh Allen and forced a fumble on Dawson Knox that was recovered by the Steelers during the 15–26 loss.[34] In Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts, Hilton recovered a fumble lost by Philip Rivers and intercepted a pass thrown by Rivers late in the fourth quarter to secure a 28–24 win for the Steelers.[35] Hilton earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance in Week 16.[36]

Cincinnati Bengals

Hilton signed a four-year, $24 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on March 19, 2021.[37][38] He was named the starting nickel cornerback for the season.[39] In Week 12 against his former team, the Steelers, he returned an interception 24 yards for his first career touchdown in a 41–10 rout.[40] Hilton made a crucial third-quarter interception in the Divisional Round game against the Tennessee Titans, which the Bengals won on their path to Super Bowl LVI, where they lost 23–20 to the Los Angeles Rams.

Hilton returned to his nickelback slot corner role for the Bengals in 2022. He missed the Week 15 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a finger injury. In the Wild Card game against the Ravens, Hilton got a sack on quarterback Tyler Huntley.

Career NFL statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg TD FF FR Yds Avg TD
2016 PIT DNP
2017 PIT 16 4 64 48 16 4.0 6 2 45 22.5 0 1 0 0 0.0 0
2018 PIT 15 2 57 44 13 1.0 8 1 0 0.0 0 0 2 2 1.0 0
2019 PIT 16 8 65 52 13 1.5 11 1 1 1.0 0 1 1 0 0.0 0
2020 PIT 12 6 51 42 9 3.0 7 3 5 2.5 0 1 2 22 11.0 0
2021 CIN 17 9 66 48 18 0.0 5 2 59 29.5 1 1 0 0 0.0 0
2022 CIN 14 4 60 48 12 0.0 6 1 5 5.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0
2023 CIN 17 13 84 64 20 1.0 8 2 16 8.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0
Total 107 46 447 346 101 10.5 51 12 131 9.8 1 4 6 24 1.7 0
Source: [1]

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg TD FF FR Yds Avg TD
2017 PIT 1 0 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0
2020 PIT 1 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0
2021 CIN 4 3 13 8 5 0.0 4 1 19 19.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0
2022 CIN 3 1 15 12 3 1.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0
Total 9 4 32 23 9 1.0 6 1 19 4.8 0 0 0 0 0.0 0
Source: [2]

References

  1. ^ "Sports-Reference: Mike Hilton stats". sports-reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Ole Miss Sports: Mike Hilton Player Bio". olemisssports.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  3. ^ "Sports-Reference: Mike Hilton stats". sports-reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  4. ^ "Sports-Reference: Mike Hilton stats: 2014". sports-reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  5. ^ "Mike Hilton earns Chucky Mullins Award, will wear No. 38". Saturday Down South. April 11, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  6. ^ "Sports-Reference: Mike Hilton stats 2015". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  7. ^ "NFL eyes turn to Ole Miss' Pro Day". oxfordeagle.com. March 27, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  8. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Mike Hilton". NFL.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  9. ^ "Mike Hilton, Mississippi, FS, 2016 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  10. ^ "Jaguars agree to terms with nine undrafted rookie free agents". Jaguars.com. May 1, 2016. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "Ourlads.com: Jacksonville Jaguars depth chart". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  12. ^ Oehser, John (August 29, 2016). "CB Demetrius McCray among eight players waived". Jaguars.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  13. ^ "Patriots sign two to the practice squad". Patriots.com. September 6, 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  14. ^ "Patriots release DB Mike Hilton from the practice squad". Patriots.com. September 14, 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  15. ^ Bryan, Dave (December 13, 2016). "Steelers Sign Hilton, Riddick To Practice Squad". SteelersDepot.com. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  16. ^ "11 players signed to Reserve/Future contracts". Steelers.com. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017.
  17. ^ "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steeler's depth chart: 09/01/2017". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  18. ^ "NFL Player Profile: Mike Hilton". NFL.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  19. ^ "NFL Player stats: Mike Hilton (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  20. ^ Maya, Adam (December 27, 2017). "Todd Gurley, Dion Lewis among NFL Players of Week". NFL.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "NFL Player stats: Mike Hilton (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  22. ^ Eager, Eric (June 1, 2018). "The top eight slot cornerbacks for 2018". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  23. ^ "Mike Hilton officially changes jersey number for 2018 season". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  24. ^ "Steelers vs. Browns: Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1 gameday depth chart prediction". steelerswire.usatoday.com. September 3, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  25. ^ "Injury Rundown: Mike Hilton (elbow) continues to be evaluated". 247sports.com. September 25, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  26. ^ "Pro Football Focus: Mike Hilton". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  27. ^ "Rudolph exits after scary hit, Ravens edge Steelers in OT". www.espn.com. Associated Press. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  28. ^ "Steelers overcome slow start, drop winless Dolphins 27-14". www.espn.com. Associated Press. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  29. ^ "Allen's fourth-quarter TD clinches playoff spot for Bills". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  30. ^ Varley, Teresa (June 12, 2020). "Feiler, Hilton sign RFA tenders". Steelers.com. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  31. ^ "Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  32. ^ "Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  33. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  34. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills - December 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  35. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  36. ^ Gordon, Grant (December 30, 2020). "Bills WR Stefon Diggs, Saints RB Alvin Kamara among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  37. ^ Baby, Ben (March 16, 2021). "Cincinnati Bengals agree to deals with CBs Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, sources say". ESPN.com.
  38. ^ "Bengals Sign Five Free Agents". Bengals.com. March 19, 2021.
  39. ^ "Bengals release first unofficial depth chart ahead of Week 1 game vs. Vikings". Bengals Wire. September 11, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  40. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals - November 28th, 2021 | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 29, 2021.

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