It seems as though the closer we get to the start of the regular season, the more we are hearing about the need for versatility and position flexibility. The Pittsburgh Steelers began to exercise that more in their second preseason game, particularly in the secondary.

One of the means by which they tested this was, in the later stages of the game, to put slot cornerback Mike Hilton back at safety. While he has practiced there a bit in the past in training camp, he had never formally worked there in a game setting, so getting that on tape was pretty meaningful.

“It feels pretty natural for me”, he told Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about lining up at safety. “With me being a good tackler, I feel like I’ll be able to get people down in the open field. I feel like I’m still working on my range sideline to sideline, but that will come with time. But I feel pretty good”.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin did mention Hilton, as well as cornerback Cameron Sutton, as a couple of cornerbacks that he felt have safety capabilities when he was asked about the team’s decision not to address the position in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Hilton was originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a college free agent in 2016. He did not make the final 53-man roster, but later spent a brief period of time on the New England Patriots’ practice squad before finishing the year on Pittsburgh’s.


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