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Wide receiver Stephen Hill struggled mightily in his first two seasons with the Jets, but offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg likes what he sees out of him so far this offseason.

(William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg thinks the Jets' offense is "light years" ahead of where it was at this time last year, and wide receiver Stephen Hill may be one reason why.

Hill was a much-ballyhooed second-round draft choice in 2012. But injuries and some wildly inconsistent play limited his effectiveness in his first two seasons.

Last week, Hill said the knee swelling that landed him on injured reserve at the end of last season was all gone. He's been taking part in the Jets' offseason program, and he looked a lot like his old self during organized team activities on Wednesday. (Please don't read to much into that, however: It was one practice on one day in a long offseason. That Hill was present, accounted for, and able to move without grimacing tells you all you need to know about the injury problems that plagued his first two seasons.)

Mornhinweg was the Eagles' offensive coordinator at the time the Jets drafted Hill. The Eagles didn't need to select a wideout then, but during a conference call with Jets season-ticket holders Thursday, Mornhinweg said he liked Hill at Georgia Tech because of his size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and speed. That said, Mornhinweg admitted Hill was "pretty raw" coming out of college, so he figured it might take some time for Hill to adapt to the pro game.

Might that time be now? Maybe.

Mornhinweg suggested it's possible, but it is worth noting that it's still only May 29, and the Jets haven't yet practiced in full pads this offseason, let alone had any contact.

So take this with a grain of salt, given where we are on the calendar. Just know that Mornhinweg said it in response to a fan's question about Hill and what Mornhinweg sees for him this season.

"He has looked just excellent in these offseason practices so far," Mornhinweg said. "He still has room to progress, so he's got some work. But I've been excited about season thus far up to date in this offseason."