Hill makes debut at training camp

ST. LOUIS -- A four-day training camp holdout earned Tye Hill extra scrutiny on his first day of practice with the St. Louis Rams.

Instead of easing their first-round pick into the mix on Monday, Hill was given plenty of action with the second unit at cornerback. He also saw time as a gunner on special teams, and tried, unsuccessfully, to cover Torry Holt.

"Well, he got me," Hill said. "He got me a few times today. But hey, he's a Pro Bowler and he's going to be in the Hall of Fame."

Hill said Holt, who tied for third in the NFL with 103 receptions last year and has been to five Pro Bowls, rubbed it in just a bit.

"He was like 'Welcome to the league, rookie,'" Hill said. "It's all good, I love playing against him.

"I've got to crawl before I walk and going up against him is going to make me better."

Holt has the status that Hill covets. The Clemson product set a goal of getting to the Pro Bowl his second season and "that's the truth."

Hill, the 15th overall pick, signed a five-year contract Sunday night and attended position meetings later that night. He was one of the first players on the field for the first of two workouts on Monday, stretching by himself.

Then began his game of catch-up for the six practices he missed.

"A lot of pressure when you're a first-round pick and certainly, all eyes are on you," safety Corey Chavous said. "I think they tested him a little bit to see where he was at, and he responded."

Coach Scott Linehan said Hill would have to do some extra conditioning to bridge the gap, but was pleased overall with his first look. He made no apologies for Hill's heavy workload.

"He's a rookie," Linehan said. "He got his feet wet and did just fine, but he's got a lot of things to get done."

Hill earned points because he flew from his home in St. George, S.C., on Friday when it became clear an agreement was close on a contract. He said there wasn't much hazing during his first practice, and he wasn't surprised by his workload.

"I guess that comes with the territory," Hill said. "I've just got to get used to it."

The biggest adjustment, he feels, will be dealing with the heat. Temperatures have been near 100 with high humidity throughout camp.

"You really can't prepare for that heat, and with full pads and everything, I've just got to get back into it," Hill said. "I had no problems with the defense. Today was more battling the heat."

Hill felt no sense of relief over getting the contract done. On Sunday night, he had no special plans for his newfound wealth, noting that it meant less because he did not come from an underprivileged background.

"My family, we're not dirt-poor but we're not rich," Hill said. "So therefore the material things are not really a big issue with me or my family because I never really had to worry about that.

"As far as the money, I'm just glad it's there."

Hill is part of a four-man competition at cornerback for the Rams, who upgraded the position after finishing last season with both starters, Jerametrius Butler and Travis Fisher, on injured reserve. For now he's behind Fisher at left corner, and free agent pickup Fakhir Brown is running ahead of Butler on the right side.

"We're going to play the best 11, and Tye knows that," Linehan said. "So he's going to have to play at the top of his game, even though he's a rookie, to be a starter."