Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Dax Hill was one of the most-hyped players on the team entering Week 1 of the preseason against the Arizona Cardinals.
Buy Bengals TicketsHill wasn’t just a first-round pick receiving the usual hype — he was also being asked to replace the franchise-tagged Jessie Bates in the starting defense.
Based on the reaction from coaches (and fans online), Hill did just fine in his pro debut.
“He jumped out at you,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com “He made two real good plays, one down there in the low red (zone) and one on the field there on third down. Those are big time plays, so that’s what stands out and then you’ll evaluate the rest of it and see how he was. But that was exciting to see from Dax.”
It wasn’t all perfect for Hill but he had two clutch third-down pass breakups in the first half and a leaping near-intercetion that would have made endless highlight reels the day after the game if he had been able to secure the ball.
The Bengals couldn’t ask for much more from Hill, who played all over the place, including the slot, in his debut. He’ll do much of the same despite not being an official starter once Week 1 arrives.
