Diminutive CB Mike Hilton brings big value to Steelers
He is, arguably, the smallest player on the roster, but Mike Hilton was talking big Friday.
Hilton’s warm smile, demure demeanor and soft voice belied some of the things the Pittsburgh Steelers’ veteran slot defensive back was saying with relative nonchalance.
“With my run-stopping ability, I’m one of the best,” Hilton said during a Zoom call, “and when it comes to my coverage, I’m also one of the best.”
A few minutes earlier, Hilton casually made a remark about being “one of the top players at my position.”
It was the type of moment that could have caused double takes and surprise amidst a steady stream of polite platitudes.
Not unlike the feeling an opposing running back must encounter when the 5-foot-9, 184-pound Hilton catches him off guard with an impactful, textbook tackle in the backfield. Or what another team’s receiver or quarterback must feel like when they see the Steelers’ third-shortest and second-lightest player light him up with a jarring hit.
“We know Mike Hilton and what he does. He is a tough little dude,” Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “He has been doing it for a while. He is part of our front package when we are playing nickel, and he moves around a little bit. We feel like he can blitz, I think he can be a threat as a blitzer. He does a good job of what we ask him to do.”
Typically, Hilton is asked to do is cover slot receivers. But he also might rush the passer. Or make a tackle in the run game. Sometimes, even play safety.
“You have to prepare for whatever,” Hilton said. “Make sure you prepare for the pass game, going against slot receivers. It’s more short, quick routes, getting the ball to them in space.
“But also you have to be able to have your run support with you ready to go because you’re going to be filling that B-gap. You’re going to be taking on offensive lineman. You’re going to be blitzing. I feel like for me, both go hand-in-hand.”
Though the primary skills associated with a slot DB are speed, quick-twitch and lateral movement, what is surprising about Hilton is his proficiency in the more physical elements of football.
According to the official pool reports from Heinz Field practices the past two weeks, Hilton has joined linebackers for tackling drills. He also has been summoned for the “backs-on-backers,” where he has been spotted conferring with star linebacker T.J. Watt on technique.
Not exactly the career arc expected when Hilton went undrafted out of Ole Miss and was cut twice in a three-week span 4 ½ years ago. But Hilton showed the Steelers enough late that season on their practice squad that they kept him around.
Hilton wowed during the following training camp, won the slot job and has held it virtually ever since.
Steelers CB Mike Hilton on the challenges of entering a season with such little contract in offseason practices and no preseason games pic.twitter.com/RN7TqMok6Y
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 28, 2020
“It’s just grinding nonstop,” Hilton said. “I know that’s cliche. I know that a lot of athletes say it, but it’s really the effort you put in. It really shows in your play and your results. I feel like over these last couple of years I’ve been gaining a lot of momentum on how I’m teaching my body, how I’m taking care of my body. It’s paying off on the field when I’m going out there and making plays.”
Hilton speaks as if he is genuinely grateful for his opportunities in recent years. But he also is keenly aware of his market value, and he is not afraid to let it be known.
Politely, of course.
Last year, Hilton did not immediately sign his tender as an exclusive rights free agent. He did eventually, but it was a subtle yet unmistakable message: I know what I’m worth, and I expect to be compensated as such when the time becomes appropriate.
Such as when unrestricted free agency beckons in the spring
“Just getting to this situation is a blessing. I’ve never taken for granted,” Hilton said. “The contract situation, I’m not really focused on it. I know what’s at the end of the tunnel. I just have to go out there, do what I can to provide for this team to help us win games.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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