INDIANAPOLIS -- Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill improved his draft status by running a fast 40-yard dash time at the NFL scouting combine on Sunday.
Considered a fourth-round prospect before the combine, Hill ran the 40-yard dash unofficially in a dazzling 4.3 seconds and followed that with a 4.31 time on his second run.
"Stephen Hill killed it," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "I had bunch of scouts tell me before the combine that this kid might blow the roof off of it and he did."
Since declaring for the draft Jan. 5, Hill spent most of his time at the IMG training facility in Bradenton, Fla.
“The tough thing about Stephen Hill is coming out of that option offense, he’s hard to evaluate,” Mayock said. “We went through this with Demaryious Thomas. But he ran officially, I think a 4.36. He [broad] jumped 11 feet, 1 inch. I forget his vertical, but that doesn’t matter. It was out of the gym.”
Now, he likely won't have to run the 40-yard dash at Tech's Pro Day on March 6. He also spent time getting tutored by former Falcons wide receiver Terance Mathis, who was helping him with his route-running.
“I look more at small wideouts because I want to be the 6-4 wide receiver playing at 5-10,” said Hill, who said he’s talked to 25 of the 32 teams. “Coming out of my breaks, that’s my biggest thing that I’m trying to work on now.”
Among those training him in Florida was renowned speed coach Loren Seagrave.
Before the combine, Hill said, “I want to run a 4.4. But I feel like I can run a 4.3.”
At last year's combine, four wide receivers ran in the 4.3 range (including Falcons draft pick Julio Jones) and 11 in the 4.4 range (including former Georgia star A.J. Green, now with Cincinnati.)
Boykin to interview
Former Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin, who suffered a small fracture in his lower right leg at the Senior Bowl, took his physical exams and will meet with teams on Monday.
He plans to hold his own personal Pro Day in April after he recovers from his injury.
“I was going down on a punt,” Boykin said. “I actually got hit in the back. Someone blocked me in the back and my leg came up and [I] got hit on the right side of my leg.
“I suffered a small fracture in the leg. It was like a crack. I’m already walking on it. I’m expected to have a full recovery within the next month.”
Boykin was measured at 5-foot, 9-inches and weighed 189 pounds. Teams want to know if would like to play some slot wide receivers in addition to playing cornerback outside and inside in their nickel packages.
“I enjoy playing nickel,” Boykin said. “Honestly, it’s like being at linebacker. It’s something that you don’t get to do as a corner, but I can do both.”
Lofton talks
The Falcons held talks with middle linebacker Curtis Lofton's representatives here over the weekend.
The issue is whether Lofton will still be a third down linebacker on what was the 29th ranked third down defense in the league last season. Lofton's role in pass defense has been questioned.
Lofton has played 95, 95 and 99 percent of the defensive snaps over the last three years. When asked if Lofton was a three-down linebacker, Lofton's Atlanta-based agent Todd France said, "I spoke to the team and they told me it's ridiculous to say Lofton isn't a three-down linebacker."
With free agency pushed back to March 13, teams have not brokered a lot of deals during the combine like they have in years past. France believes that talks to get Lofton a contract extension will pick up over the next two weeks.
The Falcons seem to prefer to signing him to an extension as opposed to getting into a bidding war with three or four teams if he’s becomes an unrestricted free agent.
“He’s been a very important cog in our defense on all three downs,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “He has definitely been the leader of our defense and signal-caller. He’s done a very nice job. Curtis is a very active middle linebacker in terms of his ability to play both the run and the pass. He’s one of the leading tacklers. He’s really developed into a top-level linebacker.”
