The first time David Merritt sat down with Will Hill, the Giants safeties coach noticed the young NFL Draft hopeful had “this little chip on his shoulder” — right next to where the tips of his long hair fell. That was more than a year ago, when Hill’s future still looked bright, at least in his mind. This spring, when Merritt talked with Hill yet again after an impressive workout for the coaches and front office, he saw and heard a much different person.

“He cut his dreads off, he was a new-looking man. That was a fresh start,” Merritt said recently. “As I talked to the young man, he said everything was clear now. … But you hear that from kids and really don’t know until you get them into this situation.”

Hey, at least Hill has convinced an NFL team to put him into a situation.

The former St. Peter’s Prep star and Florida Gators standout should’ve been an early to mid-round pick last year based on his performance in college and his athletic ability. After recording four interceptions and proving his worth on special teams, the 6-1, 207-pound safety left school a year early to begin his NFL career.

But that career never got under way last year.

Hill’s 2010 suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules, a run of posts on his Twitter account in reference to marijuana use and sex with prostitutes, the company he was keeping at the time, the negative impression he gave teams during interviews and a few other concerns all proved to be too many red flags.

Hill went undrafted. And unsigned. All season long.

None of the 32 NFL teams was willing to give Hill a shot at any of their 1,700-plus available spots on their rosters or practice squads, even with a deal that didn’t include any guaranteed money.

Now, the 2007 Star-Ledger Offensive Player of the Year is hoping for some measure of redemption with the Giants, who signed him to a minimum contract with no guaranteed money after he attended rookie minicamp in May on a tryout basis. So far, Hill has impressed Merritt and the coaching staff on the practice field.

But more importantly, as he readies himself for training camp later this month, he’s had an incident-free couple of months in which he’s said all of the right things.

“I know I made mistakes and I had to learn from my mistakes and that’s what the year off did. I had to sit back, think and become a better young person,” Hill said. “It’s been a hard time. Many nights crying, many nights just wondering, ‘When is this going to happen?’

“But people were like, ‘Will, you’re a good athlete. Become a better person and everything will happen.’ ”

GIANTS GM TAKING A CHANCE

One of those people was Giants general manager Jerry Reese, who says he’s had “man-to-man” talks with Hill, before and after the team signed him, about his past and what’s expected of him in the present.

Reese has had a few of those chats recently, as the Giants have added several young players with previous issues, including:

• Cornerback Jayron Hosley, the team’s third-round pick in April who failed a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine.

• Undrafted safety Janzen Jackson, who has also reportedly failed drug tests, was arrested for armed robbery as a freshman at Tennessee (charges were later dropped) and was dismissed from the Vols’ program.

• Undrafted wide receiver Brandon Collins, who was kicked off Texas’ team after being charged with aggravated robbery and engaging in organized criminal activity — charges that were dropped when a grand jury did not indict him.

Reese understands young, talented players will sometimes come with baggage, but some prove they deserve a chance to redeem themselves and, like Mario Manningham and Ahmad Bradshaw, the upside is huge.

“We’ve had guys with some checkered backgrounds who have come here and have done pretty well,” Reese said. “So we’re hoping these kids can get their head on right, do the same and help us win some games.”

Reese has warned all of the players they’ll be cut at the first sign of trouble — even Hosley, who received a signing bonus of $515,000. For Jackson, Collins and Hill, there’s much less risk for the team because they received little or no guaranteed money.

As for whether Hill has truly turned things around, Reese can only play a hunch.

"Well, I don't know if he's telling the truth. But I do know he's felt the sting of not being on an NFL roster when he probably should be on one, as talented as he is," Reese said. "The sting of not having that and having to sit out and not being able to play, I think that helps you get your priorities straight."

Last June, Hill was arrested in Florida for driving with a suspended license. (A search of court documents by The Star-Ledger revealed his license is still suspended in Florida, as the tickets remain unpaid.)

In September, Hill’s wife, Leisa, told police in Jacksonville that Will struck her during an argument. A police report was filed, but the responding officer noted no signs of bruising on Leisa’s face or inside of her mouth and claimed she “could not tell me what side of the face she was hit on.” Also, a spokeswoman for the Florida state attorney’s office said charges were not filed and the investigation was halted after repeated attempts to reach Leisa were unsuccessful.

Hill, who said he has two children with Leisa and two with other women, claims he was in New Jersey at the time. Leisa said she’s planning to file for divorce and Will said he hasn’t been in touch with his wife since the fall.

“The only thing that’s tough on me is not seeing my kids and wanting to be around my kids,” he said, adding his newfound dedication toward football is in large part due to his desire to support his family and be reunited with his children.

Said Reese, “He’s still a young kid and he’ll probably make some more mistakes, like everybody does, but he convinced me he was ready to move forward and learn from his mistakes.”

Hill has convinced a few others as well.

TRAINER GETS DEDICATED PUPIL

Chip Smith had a speech ready if Hill had shown up even a minute late for one of the workouts the Atlanta-based trainer put the contrite NFL hopeful through earlier this year.

You know what, go home. I don’t want to baby-sit you. To play in this league is a privilege. Here are the rules and I don’t need your name on my résumé to make my résumé.

Smith never had to deliver those words.

For about three months after a mutual friend of Patriots coach Bill Belichick set Hill up with Smith (the Patriots had shown a little interest in Hill), the veteran trainer worked with a dedicated pupil.

“The teams I talked to, to be honest with you, didn’t have much interest,” said Smith, who spoke to a few clubs on Hill’s behalf once he was convinced Hill was committed. “I told them I’ve had a lot of bad boys of the NFL. He did everything I asked him, he did it with a cheerful attitude, he never said, ‘Woe is me. … ’ He said, ‘I made a bad decision. I shouldn’t have tweeted but I did and I’m paying the price for it.’ ”

Hill claimed last year his Twitter account was hacked and the tweets about sex and drug use were not his doing. Obviously, he told Smith a different story while showing him a stronger commitment.

That’s precisely the impression Ray Buchanan got as well.

A defensive back with the Colts, Falcons and Raiders from 1993-2004, Buchanan now helps Smith ready NFL Draft hopefuls by taking them through football drills each spring.

This year’s class also included Hill, who last fall had signed with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League but was hoping he’d never have to suit up for a game.

One play during a workout at the Georgia Dome revealed Hill had the ability to play at a much higher level.

"He took off when he saw the quarterback's shoulders turn, went to get a nasty out route from the wide receiver, picked it off with one hand, stayed in bounds and took it to the house. That let me know he was a freak," Buchanan said.

"His hand-eye coordination was freakish. He has great hands and unbelievable ball skills."

Buchanan added, “I looked at him and said he’s better than half the players in the NFL. I put my neck on that.”

BATTLE FOR ROSTER SPOT

Of course, Buchanan knows it’s about more than talent for Hill.

“A lot of these kids start to find out they’re not just God’s gift to the world with this athletic ability,” Buchanan said. “We have to put our foot down and let everybody know you can’t do certain things.

“Everything I’ve seen and just talking to him and mentoring him, he showed a lot of humility and feeling very remorseful for the things he’s done in the past.”

It’ll be a battle for Hill to make the Giants’ final roster, though a stint on the practice squad is always an option. For now, he talked about how happy he is to just be wearing a helmet once again.

“I saw my name on the jersey and almost cried,” he said. “I just sat back, talked to my father and he was like, ‘Don’t waste it. Do what you need to do.’ And that’s what I’ve been doing.”

He added, “I wouldn’t wish what happened to me on anybody, but it was a learning experience and that’s something I needed to do. I needed to calm down and sit down and that’s what I did.”

Mike Garafolo: mgarafolo@starledger.com