Marlon Humphrey Learning Mike Hilton To Work On Slot Defender Recreation

Mike Hilton emerged as one of the top nickel defenders in the NFL and now has Marlon Humphrey studying him. While Hilton still searches for his next team, having already played for the Steelers and Bengals, he is now indirectly teaching a Raven how to do what he did. This past week, Humphrey talked about adjusting to the slot and brought up the former AFC North presence.

“I’ve taken notes from a lot of different guys across the league that have a lot of success blitzing, [such as] Mike Hilton and, obviously, Kyle Hamilton, some of those guys that show a lot of just different finesse and different ways to get in there,” Humphrey said, via the Ravens’ website. Hamilton, of course, is his teammate in Baltimore.

Mike Hilton spent four years with the Steelers, first signing with Jacksonville as a rookie free agent. By the start of the 2017 season, he quickly earned the starting nickel job. Over four seasons in Pittsburgh, he recorded 30 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 7 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. Humphrey then watched him sign with the Bengals in free agency.

Over the past four seasons, Hilton has been similarly productive in most areas, minus one. While he recorded 36 tackles for loss and six interceptions, he registered only two sacks. His play declining, he remains unsigned at age 31 this offseason.

But over the better part of a decade, he showed NFL defensive backs what you can do in the slot. The Steelers have tried to replicate the success they had with Mike Hilton before they let him go. They have found only limited success, but may be hopeful for Beanie Bishop Jr., their latest Mike Hilton Lite.

Marlon Humphrey has the size to play outside, but he has embraced slot assignments for the good of the team. Hilton never had that option due to his size, but he played above his height and weight in the trenches. That’s one area where Humphrey is watching his former AFC North rival to grow his game.

“I’ve come to like it, because [playing outside], there’s only so much aggression you can have when you’ve got to cover Ja’Marr Chase,” Humphrey said of his growing preference to play inside like Hilton. “You can’t be too aggressive, but [as a] nickel, you get to get in there, get in the mix and get in ‘the trenches,’ as the big guys call it.”

With the Ravens recently adding Jaire Alexander, it’s all the more obvious where Marlon Humphrey will play. Along with Chidobe Awuzie and last year’s first-round pick, Nate Wiggins, they have the outside covered. What they need is a Mike Hilton in the middle.

Humphrey played most of his snaps in the nickel role last season and had one of his best years. He picked off a career-high six passes and made the first-team All-Pro List. But with just six career sacks in eight years, he has some Mike Hilton tape to study.