Mike Hilton emerged as one of the top nickel defenders in the NFL and now has Marlon Humphrey studying him. While Hilton still searches for his next team, having already played for the Steelers and Bengals, he is now indirectly teaching a Raven how to do what he did. This past week, Humphrey talked about adjusting to the slot and brought up the former AFC North presence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve taken notes from a lot of different guys across the league that have a lot of success blitzing, [such as] Mike Hilton and, obviously, Kyle Hamilton, some of those guys that show a lot of just different finesse and different ways to get in there,\u201d Humphrey said, via the Ravens\u2019 website<\/a>. Hamilton, of course, is his teammate in Baltimore.<\/p>\n Mike Hilton spent four years with the Steelers, first signing with Jacksonville as a rookie free agent. By the start of the 2017 season, he quickly earned the starting nickel job. Over four seasons in Pittsburgh, he recorded 30 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 7 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. Humphrey then watched him sign with the Bengals in free agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over the past four seasons, Hilton has been similarly productive in most areas, minus one. While he recorded 36 tackles for loss and six interceptions, he registered only two sacks. His play declining, he remains unsigned at age 31 this offseason<\/a>.<\/p>\n But over the better part of a decade, he showed NFL defensive backs what you can do in the slot. The Steelers have tried to replicate the success they had with Mike Hilton before they let him go. They have found only limited success, but may be hopeful for Beanie Bishop Jr., their latest Mike Hilton Lite<\/a>.<\/p>\n Marlon Humphrey has the size to play outside, but he has embraced slot assignments for the good of the team. Hilton never had that option due to his size, but he played above his height and weight in the trenches. That\u2019s one area where Humphrey is watching his former AFC North rival to grow his game.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve come to like it, because [playing outside], there\u2019s only so much aggression you can have when you\u2019ve got to cover Ja\u2019Marr Chase,\u201d Humphrey said of his growing preference to play inside like Hilton. \u201cYou can\u2019t be too aggressive, but [as a] nickel, you get to get in there, get in the mix and get in \u2018the trenches,\u2019 as the big guys call it.\u201d<\/p>\n