K.J. Hill 2020 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 196 pounds
School: Ohio State Buckeyes
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.60 seconds
Bench press: 17 reps
Vertical jump: 32.5 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 6 inches
K.J. Hill 2020 NFL Draft Profile
One of the most sought-after receiving prospects in the 2015 recruiting class, K.J. Hill garnered plenty of interest from top programs with a grand total of 18 Power Five scholarship offers. His eventual decision came down to the wire with him having taken visits to both Ohio State and Alabama a few weeks before National Signing Day. It was then that the North Little Rock, AR native decided to head north for his college career, committing to the Buckeyes.
After sitting out his first season on campus, Hill saw limited action as a redshirt freshman in 2016. That didn’t come as much of a surprise considering how deep the OSU receiving corps is on a yearly basis. The following year was when Hill began to showcase his potential as a high-volume target in the Buckeye passing game. He caught a team-leading 56 passes while his 549 receiving yards were second only to Parris Campbell. Hill added a further 70 catches for 885 yards as a redshirt junior. But this time, Campbell upstaged him in the reception department with 90 while adding 1,065 yards.
Hill considered foregoing his final year of eligibility. But after consultation with former players including Buckeye legend Cris Carter, he decided to stay in school. It was a good move as he once again finished as the team leader in receptions (57) while also accounting for 636 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns. Over the course of his four seasons in Columbus, Hill caught a total of 201 passes which broke David Boston‘s school record which had stood for 21 years.
Strengths
- record-breaking level of production from a receptions standpoint;
- should be an asset in the slot;
- reliable in the screen game, both as a pass-catcher and a decoy;
- has the instincts to find the gaps in zone coverage;
- rarely dealt with focus drops in college;
- already has a fairly extensive route-running repertoire;
- doesn’t shy away from mixing things up as a blocker;
- boasts four years of experience including plenty of starter-level reps;
Weaknesses
- a bit undersized and could be limited to slot duty;
- rarely showed an ability to take the top off defenses;
- could haul in more contested catches;
- route transitions need more crispness;
- solid wrap-up tacklers consistently prevent him from making plays after the catch;
- doesn’t do enough to prevent defenders from coming up with inaccurate throws;
NFL Comparison: Kenny Stills
Teams With Need at Position: Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Projection: Fourth to fifth round
Bottom Line
You don’t become the all-time receptions leader at a storied program like Ohio State without having immense talent. K.J. Hill proved what he was capable of over the course of his four seasons in Columbus, particularly as an upperclassman. He’s a reliable catcher of the football who should develop into a fairly lethal slot man if he can reach his ceiling. But it will require him to add more nuance to his route-running which can only make him even more effective given that he already runs a pretty detailed route tree. In addition, he needs to prove that he can separate from press at the line of scrimmage. Improving those aspects of his game will ensure that he can become a productive wideout at the next level and a crucial depth piece to whichever team he joins.
