Tag: Chris Hinton Jr.

Off to the NFL: Hutchinson, Ojabo, Hill, Hinton, Ross, Gray, Haskins, Baldwin

Michigan football news was overwhelmed this week with guys announcing they were either transferring or leaving for the NFL – oh, and the Jim Harbaugh-to-the-NFL drama – so yours truly just had no chance of keeping up with all those developments.

Posts on each one of these guys will be coming down the road to summarize their careers, but I wanted to address each one here and now.

DE Aidan Hutchinson: Hutchinson played four years at Michigan and could have returned for a fifth. He was the Heisman runner-up and set the school record for sacks with 14. He has nothing else to prove and will likely be a top-5 pick in the draft, so this was the right decision for him.
Draft projection: 1st round

OLB David Ojabo: Ojabo had 11 sacks rushing the quarterback opposite Hutchinson one year after making 1 total tackle. As a redshirt sophomore, he could have come back for a couple more seasons, but he’s striking while the iron is hot. Hutchinson and Ojabo surely helped each other out, and there would be a risk in returning for 2022, considering there’s no proven pass rusher on the opposite side. He could very well have returned and put up mediocre sack numbers, hindering his draft stock. Even though Ojabo is not a good run defender, he does have outstanding athleticism and could be a year one pass rusher for an NFL team.
Draft projection: 1st round

Hit the jump for more.

2021 Season Countdown: #21 Christopher Hinton, Jr.

Name: Christopher Hinton, Jr.
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 310 lbs.
High school: Johns Creek (GA) Greater Atlanta Christian
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I ranked Hinton #11 and said he would be a part-time starting nose tackle (LINK). He started four games and made 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 2 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 90

Hinton started off his college career at 285 lbs. in 2019, was up to 305 for 2020, and is now listed at 310 lbs. All the while his projection has morphed. At one time as a recruit, he was listed as a strongside end. Then he was a defensive tackle. Then he was getting a look at nose tackle. The whole defense was pretty abysmal in 2020, and some of that can be attributed to the production – or lack thereof – from Hinton and his defensive linemates. Michigan quite simply did not hold at the point of attack, especially on the interior, and then the unit was hurt even more when Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson got injured.

I think the move to a three-man front in 2021 will be beneficial for Hinton, who seems to me to make more sense as a 3-4 tackle (or end) rather than a 3-tech or strongside end. The position is probably never going to rack up counting stats, but playing on the inside shoulder of the tackle, he should free up the inside and outside linebackers to make plays. Teams frequently have to double those 4i tackles and use combo blocks to get to the second level, and those can be tricky. Hinton will likely be a starter at one defensive tackle spot, and I expect him to have a solid season and start to live up to that 5-star potential.

Prediction: Starting defensive tackle; 25 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

2020 Season Countdown: #11 Chris Hinton, Jr.

Name: Chris Hinton, Jr.
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 305 lbs.
High school: Norcross (GA) Greater Atlanta Christian
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #15
Last year: I ranked Hinton #38 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He made 9 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.
TTB Rating: 90

Hinton entered 2019 with some expectations to contribute immediately. He was an All-American with an NFL pedigree, and Michigan needed help at defensive tackle. Michael Dwumfour never fully developed (and has since transferred to Rutgers), and otherwise, Michigan was relying on position-switchers like Donovan Jeter, Carl Kemp, Jess Speight, and others to hold down the fort in the middle. It was a breath of fresh air to see two true defensive tackles recruited in the 2019 class (Hinton and Mazi Smith), but Hinton was more college-ready.

His play was not disappointing – defensive tackle is tough for freshmen – but he also didn’t really show many flashes of greatness, either. That doesn’t mean it won’t come. Hinton already showed some stoutness and made a few tackles, and I liked what I saw from him.

This season Hinton is up 20 pounds from where he started last year, and he has a year of technique and S&C under his belt. I went into the countdown thinking he and Kemp would be the starters on the interior, but recent news from insiders has Jeter pegged to start alongside Kemp. I don’t have a lot of trust in Jeter because of how he has underperformed, but I did like him as a prospect, so maybe the light finally came on. Either way, there’s a lot of rotation on the defensive line, so Hinton will play quite a bit. That size and toughness will be valuable inside when Michigan comes up against Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Prediction: Part-time starting nose tackle

Michigan vs. Wisconsin Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Mike Sainristil. Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis promised Michigan fans #speedinspace when he was hired. During the spring and then the summer, Jim Harbaugh said Sainristil was the starter at the H receiver position. We’re three games into the 2019 season, and the supposedly healthy Sainristil has yet to touch the ball even once. Not on jet sweeps. Not on screens. Not on kick returns or punt returns. Not on downfield shots.

Hit the jump for more.

Final TTB Ratings for 2019

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I know it’s a little bit late in the game, but back in the spring, I didn’t have time to review all the senior film for Michigan’s 2019 signees and give them updated TTB Ratings. I did that during the 2019 Season Countdown, so here are the final TTB Ratings for the class of 2019.

S Daxton Hill: 100
He’s the best safety in the class, though it’s an unimpressive safety class overall.

RB Zach Charbonnet: 83 90
As long as he can get/stay healthy, Charbonnet has the potential to be a high draft pick in the future.

DT Chris Hinton, Jr.: 90
He should be an early contributor with high long-term upside.

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