pyrodolphan
Hogs and Fins
Lex Hillard RB Montana
Analysis
Positives: Has excellent bone structure and a muscular frame, broad shoulders, thick chest, wide hips, thick thighs and calves, well-defined arms with large hands and loose hips...May lack top-end speed but shows good athletic agility, change-of-direction skills and body control running the ball through the pile...Demonstrates very good hand-eye coordination as a receiver in controlled routes and uses his frame well to shield defenders from the ball...Takes the plays from the chalkboard to the playing field with no problems and has the ability to grasp a complicated playbook...Plays until the whistle and is a high-energy type with good aggression attacking the defender and breaking arm tackles...Runs with authority and at a low pad level...Has the field awareness to quickly locate the blitz and pass rush, facing up to defenders with good effort...Takes well to hard coaching and assumed leadership responsibilities...Has a team-first work ethic and is not one who will be enamored by press clippings or his face plastered on the television, but is a lunch-pail type with blue-chip ability...Shows adequate initial quickness in his running stride, but is quick getting out of his stance...Gets up to speed fast, but is also patient waiting for blocks to develop...Has the instincts and field vision to easily locate the cutback lane...Uses his blockers well and lowers his pads on contact while keeping his feet churning to gain additional yardage falling forward...More of a downhill runner, as he has excellent pick-and-slide agility...Demonstrates the ability to get to top acceleration smoothly and shows good running posture, finding the crease and hitting the holes hard...With his low pad level and strength when squaring his shoulders, he consistently knocks defenders back and breaks tackles...Gains positive yards after contact thanks to good body lean and, while he has marginal home-run speed, he shows a good change of pace and quick acceleration to bounce plays around the perimeter...More shifty and decisive than explosive, but is quick to find a lane and emerge downfield from trash to get into the second level...Good one-on-one battler working in space and shows very good ball security in traffic (has not fumbled in more than two seasons)...His loose hips and route-running ability will see him lined up from a flexed slot position on occasion...Has the large, natural hands to adjust and catch outside of his frame...Tough lead blocker who can widen and sustain the rushing lanes...Very willing when cutting defense lineman in pass protection or blocking linebackers on the QB draw...Shows ability to cut or square up, mirror and use hands in pass protection...Takes good angles when leading and neutralizing second-level defenders on the draw plays.
Negatives: Best served running between tackles, as he does not utilize shake-and-bake moves when trying to elude defenders in the second level, though he has good strength to break tackles...Has a quick stride to the hole, but is not considered explosive...Can be caught from behind on long runs and needs to develop a second gear as he won't separate from defenders in the open field...Used mostly on controlled routes and will drift a bit and take soft-angle cuts when asked to catch past the intermediate areas...Compensates for a lack of straight-line speed with balance and good change-of-direction agility...Has good weight-room strength, but must square up more often to push the pile. He was caught from behind on 24 runs in 2005, but improved in 2007, as he was tackled for losses just five times... Has good hands, but is rarely utilized in the passing scheme, as the team's offensive game plan did not utilize its backs much on a variety of pass routes.
Compares To: MARION BARBER, III-Dallas...Hilliard is a load to bring down in one-on-one situations (54.9% of his non-touchdown runs the last two years, 130-of-299, required multiple defenders to bring him down). He has the forward body lean, leg drive and power to consistently get the tough yardage between the tackles. He is more quick than fast and has been quite as productive getting long yardage off draw plays. He is a capable receiver on controlled routes and has developed into a capable cut blocker. He has made strong recovery from an Achilles tendon injury, but because of a lack of blazing speed, he is better served as an inside runner than one who should be attacking the edges. Barber is a more polished route-runner and receiver, but when used on controlled routes, Hilliard has proven to be a capable safety valve.
Injury Report
2004: Sat out the Maine contest (9/04) with a left hamstring pull suffered in the team's final fall camp scrimmage.
2006: Missed the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left Achilles tendon that he suffered in mid-August camp.
2007: Left the Weber State game (9/29) in the third quarter with a shoulder stinger.
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
Analysis
Positives: Has excellent bone structure and a muscular frame, broad shoulders, thick chest, wide hips, thick thighs and calves, well-defined arms with large hands and loose hips...May lack top-end speed but shows good athletic agility, change-of-direction skills and body control running the ball through the pile...Demonstrates very good hand-eye coordination as a receiver in controlled routes and uses his frame well to shield defenders from the ball...Takes the plays from the chalkboard to the playing field with no problems and has the ability to grasp a complicated playbook...Plays until the whistle and is a high-energy type with good aggression attacking the defender and breaking arm tackles...Runs with authority and at a low pad level...Has the field awareness to quickly locate the blitz and pass rush, facing up to defenders with good effort...Takes well to hard coaching and assumed leadership responsibilities...Has a team-first work ethic and is not one who will be enamored by press clippings or his face plastered on the television, but is a lunch-pail type with blue-chip ability...Shows adequate initial quickness in his running stride, but is quick getting out of his stance...Gets up to speed fast, but is also patient waiting for blocks to develop...Has the instincts and field vision to easily locate the cutback lane...Uses his blockers well and lowers his pads on contact while keeping his feet churning to gain additional yardage falling forward...More of a downhill runner, as he has excellent pick-and-slide agility...Demonstrates the ability to get to top acceleration smoothly and shows good running posture, finding the crease and hitting the holes hard...With his low pad level and strength when squaring his shoulders, he consistently knocks defenders back and breaks tackles...Gains positive yards after contact thanks to good body lean and, while he has marginal home-run speed, he shows a good change of pace and quick acceleration to bounce plays around the perimeter...More shifty and decisive than explosive, but is quick to find a lane and emerge downfield from trash to get into the second level...Good one-on-one battler working in space and shows very good ball security in traffic (has not fumbled in more than two seasons)...His loose hips and route-running ability will see him lined up from a flexed slot position on occasion...Has the large, natural hands to adjust and catch outside of his frame...Tough lead blocker who can widen and sustain the rushing lanes...Very willing when cutting defense lineman in pass protection or blocking linebackers on the QB draw...Shows ability to cut or square up, mirror and use hands in pass protection...Takes good angles when leading and neutralizing second-level defenders on the draw plays.
Negatives: Best served running between tackles, as he does not utilize shake-and-bake moves when trying to elude defenders in the second level, though he has good strength to break tackles...Has a quick stride to the hole, but is not considered explosive...Can be caught from behind on long runs and needs to develop a second gear as he won't separate from defenders in the open field...Used mostly on controlled routes and will drift a bit and take soft-angle cuts when asked to catch past the intermediate areas...Compensates for a lack of straight-line speed with balance and good change-of-direction agility...Has good weight-room strength, but must square up more often to push the pile. He was caught from behind on 24 runs in 2005, but improved in 2007, as he was tackled for losses just five times... Has good hands, but is rarely utilized in the passing scheme, as the team's offensive game plan did not utilize its backs much on a variety of pass routes.
Compares To: MARION BARBER, III-Dallas...Hilliard is a load to bring down in one-on-one situations (54.9% of his non-touchdown runs the last two years, 130-of-299, required multiple defenders to bring him down). He has the forward body lean, leg drive and power to consistently get the tough yardage between the tackles. He is more quick than fast and has been quite as productive getting long yardage off draw plays. He is a capable receiver on controlled routes and has developed into a capable cut blocker. He has made strong recovery from an Achilles tendon injury, but because of a lack of blazing speed, he is better served as an inside runner than one who should be attacking the edges. Barber is a more polished route-runner and receiver, but when used on controlled routes, Hilliard has proven to be a capable safety valve.
Injury Report
2004: Sat out the Maine contest (9/04) with a left hamstring pull suffered in the team's final fall camp scrimmage.
2006: Missed the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left Achilles tendon that he suffered in mid-August camp.
2007: Left the Weber State game (9/29) in the third quarter with a shoulder stinger.
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
