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According to Rotoworld.com, Lions rookie Sammie Lee Hill may be forced into extensive playing time if NT Grady Jackson is suspended for the first four games.
 

Mancini’s Take: The 6’4” 330-pound Hill is a physical specimen with the agility of a much smaller athlete. The youngster has been impressive thus far in absorbing footwork, leverage, and hand placement techniques from his coaching staff. If big Grady is indeed suspended, there’s little doubt that this small school phenom will be thrown into the fire considering Chuck Darby’s limitations as a rotational lineman. Hill’s natural strength is off the charts. As a collegiate, he was very aggressive in overpowering blockers in one-on-one battles and changes directions very well. His ability to fight off double teams is the big question mark here. His ability to fight off double teams is the big question mark here. Hopefully, defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham and company are showing him how to lower his pad level.

Mandel's Take: Hill was a terrific middle-round pick by Detroit, but one that needs a great deal of work before he is put into a starting role. Should StarCaps strike in Detroit and force the Lions to give Hill extended playing time, it's going to be trouble as he's simply too raw. Hill is big, which is nice, but he has a long way to go before his technique is NFL-ready. The Lions drafted him knowing he was a project and there's no doubt that they'd like to spoon-feed him...but sometimes situations blow plans up. It seems likely that Hill is going to have to learn on the job and that the Lions' 32nd-ranked run defense is going struggle once again.
 

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