What Are the Dolphins Getting in Hilton?

Hilton is an incredibly smart and experienced player (56 career starts). He can see these types of plays developing quickly and still has enough short-area quickness to close windows in this part of the field. 

Hilton also showed a knack for closing windows on quick slants, whip routes, and speed outs. He does such a good job reading the quarterback’s eyes that it’s difficult to complete those routes against him. 

In man coverage, Hilton must rely on his physicality. He loves to get his hands on receivers and force them to win through contact. Despite standing at 5-8, 187 pounds, Hilton is not a pushover. 

This pass breakup against the Chargers shows how Hilton can win in man coverage in specific scenarios. 

Watch him slow down Ladd McConkey at the top of the route, forcing a tight window throw for Justin Herbert, who leaves the pass just slightly too inside. It doesn’t look like much, but McConkey is already an excellent route runner. 

While Hilton can be effective on these types of quick routes, when he’s forced to turn and run downfield, some limitations do arise. 

Hilton is on the wrong side of 30, and it’s clear he’s not as fast as he used to be. His downhill explosiveness and short-area quickness remain good, but his ability to close larger gaps in coverage is a concern. 

This touchdown allowed against the Steelers is a good example. 

Hilton opens his hips to the sideline way too early, allowing Calvin Austin to cross his face. He tries to get back into the play but just doesn’t quite have enough juice to close the window. Hilton gets some help from this being in the red zone, too. 

If this play had happened in a different part of the field, Austin would have just kept running away from Hilton across the field and generated a big play that way. 

Hilton is still a useful player in coverage. His physicality and smarts will be a welcome addition to a Dolphins’ secondary that needs all the help it can get. That said, his usage needs to be carefully monitored. The more he’s asked to turn and run, the more he’ll likely struggle. 

Hilton’s Run Defense 

Remember when we said we’d cover why Hilton’s often listed as a “box” player? Well, it’s because he’s an incredibly strong and effective run defender. 

Hilton’s coverage tape is a mixed bag, but he’s the ideal slot cornerback to win against the running game. He punches way above his listed height and weight, while being a reliable tackler at all three levels of the field. 

Watch this rep against the Broncos where he fires into the B-gap from his slot spot at the bottom of the screen. 

There aren’t too many slot cornerbacks — especially ones built like Hilton — who fire into the middle of the b-gap like this. It shows so much about how committed Hilton is to doing what he can to make plays. 

He doesn’t shy away from contact like many cornerbacks; instead, he’s built that into a strength of his game. This rep against the Broncos also stood out, as Hilton shifted into a linebacker spot because of presnap motion. 

Watch him slip a block near the line of scrimmage and then get in on the tackle, stopping the play for minimal gain. This is a play you’d expect to see a seasoned weakside linebacker make, not the 5-8, 187-pound slot cornerback. 

The most encouraging part is that it appears Hilton’s run defense is improving with time. His missed tackle percentage has improved in every season since 2020, when it was a notable 17.7%. 

Last year, Hilton got it all the way down to 6.4. The Dolphins’ defense really struggled to tackle last season, so Hilton should provide a nice boost in that area. 

Final Word on Hilton 

Hilton is a clear upgrade over what the Dolphins had. If he’s used correctly in coverage and continues to be a tone-setter against the run, there’s no reason he can’t be a solid starter in the slot this season. 

However, it’s essential to acknowledge some of the risks that come with Hilton. He’s getting older, and it’s clear that he’s not as fast as he used to be. There is a good chance Hilton will give up some big plays in man coverage this season. 

Additionally, his ball production is an area to watch. Last year, Hilton got his hands on six passes (5 PBUs, 1 INT). Two of them were batted passes at the line when he was blitzing, and his INT was caught off a deflection by another player. 

Ball production is famously unreliable from year to year, but Hilton just wasn’t around the ball as much as usual in 2024. Again, it’s less of a concern and more something to keep an eye on. 

Perhaps the bigger question around Hilton is how his signing affects the rest of the cornerback room. He must be kept in the slot, so that means Kohou will need to play outside. 

Kohou played solid on the outside at the end of last season, but his best football has primarily been from the slot. Ultimately, the Dolphins must focus on getting their three best cornerbacks on the field, which means allowing Kohou to play outside. 

Overall, Hilton is a good addition. He and Kohou might slightly clash from a positional perspective, but they’re two of the more physical cornerbacks in the league. That combination could be a nice tone-changer for a Dolphins’ secondary that was the opposite of physical last season. 

Hilton should be a solid player for the Dolphins, but he shouldn’t be expected to be a lock-down option at this point in his career. He’s a solid stop-gap signing, nothing more and nothing less.