Daxton Hill

Cincinnati BengalsUNDERPAID

Pos CB

Updated October 8, 2026

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Model Score

83.5 MODEL

2025

83.1

2026

83.5

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Tier 6 (#45) in 2024 to tier 3 (#23) breakout in 2025 is a 22-spot one-year jump for a 31st overall pick. The Michigan Big Ten pedigree plus the converted-safety profile plus the structural Bengals nickel role gives him real developmental foundation. The 2026 question is whether Hill earns his first Pro Bowl plus holds tier 3 territory or whether the 2025 finish was a one-year context spike.

Hill came out of Michigan as the Cincinnati Bengals' 1st-round pick (31st overall) in 2022 as a converted safety. The Bengals moved him to nickel CB across his first two starting seasons. His STTM career runs tier 6 (#45) in 2024 to tier 3 (#23) breakout in 2025.

Strengths

Michigan Big Ten 31st overall draft pedigree plus the converted-safety profile gives him real positional flexibility.
22-spot year-over-year improvement from tier 6 (#45) in 2024 to tier 3 (#23) in 2025 confirms structural top-25 CB ceiling.

Concerns

Single tier 3 finish without prior top-30 STTM history raises the question of whether the 2025 jump is structural or one-year context.
Cincinnati's broader defensive identity around the Trey Hendrickson contract uncertainty compresses the structural support around Hill.

What to watch: Whether Hill earns his first Pro Bowl in 2026 plus holds tier 3 or better, the threshold for confirming the 2025 breakout was structural.