Hello, fan of an NFL team. MGoBlog excruciatingly scouts every Michigan play, and scores them to inform our coverage. Since mi atleta es su atleta now, here we share what we're sharing.
Quickly: Smart, businesslike, solid-based, right-sized DT held back by a sluggish first step.
Draft Projection: 6th round to undrafted free agent. I think he'll end up on a roster, but as deep as the tackle pool is this year, not a lot of teams are going to bother using picks for DTs when they think they can find a guy like Hinton on the practice roster or someone else's. If your team used a Day 3 pick on him, they probably like his upside, and need to fill a hole. You can do a lot worse with a 6th rounder.
NFL Comp: Damion Square, a 5-star DL who played 3-tech at Bama, went undrafted in 2013, and is still bouncing around the league as a backup DT. Like Square, Hinton has the versatility to fill in at several interior positions, and his best move is the swim, which he could further develop in the NFL. Square also struggled as a guy his size shouldn't because his feet were mostly planted on the ground. They were seldom planted in one city for very long however; Square's most notable accomplishment was managing to play for two different teams in the same postseason, the only player to ever do that.
What's his story? A lot of people were surprised that Michigan could pull a 5-star DT out of Georgia, but Michigan's been successful in multiple sports at attracting the kids of prominent pros—Chris being the son of Christopher Jerrod Hinton, the Colts offensive tackle best known as the guy traded for John Elway. Junior rose up the rankings as a DE, fell off when he looked like he'd have to move inside, then charged back to blue chip status when he moved inside as a senior. Michigan in 2019 needed DTs badly, but even 5-star freshmen almost always struggle. Hinton flashed a bit and got blown up by doubles a lot while 4-star classmate Mazi Smith redshirted.
That portended better things, but Hinton was constantly slipping out of the conversation in 2020 while vastly undersized Carlo Kemp started, and Michigan preferred to have Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye (until both were injured) dive into B gaps rather than play another DT. His coaches praised his personality and how much work he was putting into his short-area quickness and change-of-direction, which in retrospect was sort of ominous.
Like the defense, things settled down considerably in Macdonald's system in 2021. Hinton played 3-tech whether Michigan was in a nickel or 5-2. Smith was their best defensive tackle, but Hinton was always in the next breath. Pass rush from him was virtually non-existent, however, and because he had the glory DT position and Michigan's edges were consistently providing opportunities, the lack of any production in that area was quietly a prominent weakness for the defense.
It's the most college thing in the world to react to a player leaving early for the NFL, but the reaction to Hinton's departure was telling. It's not that people were caught off guard, but I can share it wasn't just the college fan-brains saying "Dude, that's a bad idea" with this one. Of course there were a lot of fans saying it when they really meant "Oh man, I really wanted to see him blow up next year!" If he's going to, there's more money in doing it for an NFL team.
Positives: The solid base. Even as a freshman, Hinton was always facing the right way with his feet under him. Doubles had to get him airborne to move him, and then his teammates were able to rally since Hinton was still in the way. Mature beyond his years, was one of the guys most often chosen to look like an adult and answer questions with platitudes as a true junior. Amazing family who will no doubt become part of the local program culture.
Negatives: No explosion, no pass rush, no stats to show for it. At a point in his development right now where he's got the fundamentals down but no pizazz, and few highlights. Body isn't going to help—he's solidly but doesn't have the long arms to erase zone plays or the feet to give NFL-caliber guards trouble (his highlights tend to over-represent bad linemen from Rutgers). If you could yell "You should have stayed in school!" at any prospect ever, it's him.
[After THE JUMP: What others say, scheme fit, grading, video, conclusion]
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