Holton Hill proves to be too good to be true with latest suspension

The Minnesota Vikings young cornerback has been suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.

During his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, cornerback Holton Hill was definitely a pleasant surprise. The Vikings took a chance on Hill despite him getting suspended multiple times during college and it seemed like he was done with getting into trouble.

Apparently it was too good to be true though as the NFL has suspended the Minnesota cornerback for the first four games of the 2019 season after violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances.

The news is certainly disappointing, especially when the Vikings could have shifted Hill into a bigger role next season. His suspension also erases any chance of Minnesota trading Trae Waynes or Xavier Rhodes this year in an effort to create more cap space.

This is not the first time Hill has found himself in an unfortunate situation. He reportedly failed his drug test at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine and a few months before that he was suspended by the University of Texas for another reported positive drug test.

Hill appeared in all 16 of the Vikings games last season and he finished with 36 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one interception. His allowed catch percentage (51.6) was the best among all Minnesota cornerbacks in 2018.

With Hill’s suspension, the Vikings’ draft strategy may take a different direction now too. Minnesota may look to take a cornerback earlier in the draft this year with him out for the team’s first four games and there still being an uncertainty about the status of fellow corner Mike Hughes, who is coming off of a torn ACL.

The Vikings did add two more defensive backs to their roster on Friday in Derron Smith and Duke Thomas (both formerly of the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders) and it doesn’t seem that crazy to believe that Hill’s suspension had something to do with these signings.

What’s next for Minnesota’s young corner? Well, he can participate in all of the Vikings’ offseason practices and their preseason games. But rebuilding the trust of his teammates and coaches may the most important task for Hill to accomplish over the next few months.