One thing you can say about Jason Hill, he’s not lacking for confidence. Hill, who went to Sacred Heart Cathedral High in San Francisco, was ecstatic that his hometown team drafted him in the third round.
But he wishes he had gone a little sooner. Watching all the other receivers drafted ahead of him – and listening to draft gurus like NFL Network’s Mike Mayock say he was too slow – will provide plenty of motivation for the upcoming season, he said.
"He’s a hater. He hates. That’s what he does," Hill said of Mayock. "You can ask any defensive back I played against how fast I am. You don’t score 32 touchdowns in the Pac 10 not playing fast."
It was hard to hear Hill over the din behind him. He threw a party at the San Francisco Ramada that erupted when they learned the guest of honor had been drafted by the 49ers.
Hill gained than 1,000 receiving yards in both his sophomore and junior seasons at Washington State, but trailed off last season when he was bothered by ankle and shoulder injuries. Critics said Hill didn’t have the speed to separate from defensive backs, but he ran a blazing 40-yard dash at the February combine, the second fastest of any receiver.
--Matt Barrows
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