Who is Delano Hill and how can he help the Panthers in 2021?

Delano Hill’s career so far

There was a lot to like about Delano Hill coming out of Michigan, where he transitioned to safety over the final two years of his college career with the Wolverines. This was something he coped with extremely well, emerging as a high-impact player capable of making a big difference on any given down.

This was all the Seattle Seahawks needed to see and they picked Hill up at No. 95 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Pete Carroll’s men had a formidable defensive unit at the time he was drafted, so making his presence felt proved a substantial task that he never quite managed to accomplish.

Hill played 15 games over his rookie campaign, mostly contributing to special teams thanks to the wealth of talent at Seattle’s disposal. This was followed by the first two official stars of his NFL career in 2018, where he performed adequately on his way to a 62.4 grade from Pro Football Focus.

The player recorded a career-high in tackles with 25 in 2019 from four starts. But Hill was unable to make more of an impression last season and featured just twice, giving up seven receptions from eight targets thrown his way.

The Seahawks decided to cut their losses where Hill was concerned, who didn’t do enough to warrant a longer-term commitment. He must have been getting a little nervous after sitting on the free-agent scrapheap for a considerable period of time before the Carolina Panthers came calling, so it’s vital he puts this increased sense of urgency to good use in a different setting.