Rookie Diary: Aaron Hill is ready for his first real taste of NFL Football

Rookie Diary: Hill is ready for his first real taste of NFL football
• By Joe Lyons

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/rookie-diary-hill-is-ready-for-his-first-real-taste/article_7aa72858-0ca2-5187-ba25-d6848905eb05.html

Aaron Hill was a three-sport standout at Lutheran St. Charles High who walked on at the University of Minnesota, where he started three seasons and helped the Golden Gophers earn trips to bowl games in 2012 and 2013. The 23-year-old signed as a rookie free agent with the Rams shortly after the NFL draft and is trying to beat the odds and earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

Throughout training camp, Joe Lyons of the Post-Dispatch will check in on Hill for reports to be posted online on Mondays and Fridays to provide fans with a unique perspective on the linebacker’s efforts to make his NFL dream come true.

The Rams will make their 2014 exhibition debut Friday when they welcome the New Orleans Saints to the Edward Jones Dome. It’s a big night for the young players on both squads, and especially for an undrafted free agent like Aaron Hill.

What are your thoughts heading into your first NFL preseason game?

“Friday is definitely a big night. It’s going to be a great experience. First NFL game, coming out of that tunnel and getting a chance to get back under the lights and party with my teammates, it’s definitely going to be a thrill. Every player has an opportunity and we’re going to be out there competing for jobs. Every time you’re on the field, it’s an interview.

Every day, you have to go out and show what you can do, show the coaching staff you know what you’re doing and that you have what it takes to help this football team.”

After OTAs and a couple of weeks of training camp are you where you’d want to be heading into this first game?

“I’m still learning. Every day, there are things you have to work on and improve on. To be the best, you have to be ready to compete every day. I feel like things are definitely moving forward., that I’m moving in the right direction. I just have to make sure that I keep getting better.”