Kylin Hill 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Running back
Height: 5′-10 ⅜”
Weight: 214-pounds
Arms: 30 ½”
Hands: 9 ⅝”
School: Mississippi State
Pro Day Performance
40-yard dash: 4.57
Vertical: 36”
Broad: 122”
Three-cone: 7.20
Kylin Hill 2021 NFL Draft Profile
As a true freshman in 2017, Hill appeared in all 13 games for Mississippi State where he saw time on both offense as well as special teams. Hill concluded the season having rushed for 393 yards and two touchdowns on just 78 carries with a 5.04 average yards per carry. The performance ranked Hill as the eighth leading rusher by an SEC freshman.
As a sophomore in 2018, Hill won the starting job and went on to play in 11 games while missing two due to a back injury. Nevertheless, Hill put together an impressive season as he rushed for 734 yards and four touchdowns on 117 carries. Moreover, the running back added impressive receiving numbers as he led the conference with four receiving touchdowns. In 2019, the junior running back started all 13 games and led the team in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.
Hill, impressively, ran for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns on 242 rush attempts which gave him an average of 5.58 yards per rush. Furthermore, Hill averaged over 100 rushing yards per game with an average of 103.8. Additionally, the running back was responsible for Mississippi State’s longest rush of the season, 62 yards, along with their longest reception of the season, 88 yards. In 2020, the senior started in three games before leaving the team while breaking the school’s single game receiving record with 158 yards against LSU.
Strengths
- Has an NFL ready body and has proven he can handle a large workload both in the running and passing game;
- At 214 pounds, Hill absorbs contact well while remaining balanced with his base;
- A lot of versatility and can align within different positions within different formations and while he may be best served as a third-down back to preserve his health, Hill has the ability to be a three-down runner;
- Finishes his runs and has the strength to run in between the tackles;
- Hill gets vertically with ease and hits open holes with decisiveness along with power.
Weaknesses
- Does not have elite speed or quickness and will not consistently break off long runs;
- Lacks a second gear burst;
- Pass protection could use polishing;
- Will rarely create his own holes if the offensive line breaks down;
- Hill’s overall running vision is just average which negatively influences his ability to wait for rushing lanes to fully develop.
NFL Comparison: James White
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons
Projection: Third Round
Bottom Line on Kylin Hill
Given the right situation and offense, Hill could easily develop into a very good, possibly elite, number two option out of the backfield. Much how the Patriots have utilized White as an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield while picking their spots to hand him the ball, Hill has a similar skill set as well as body type. Furthermore, the versatility Hill offers as a mid-round pick will have offensive coordinators salivating to draw up mismatches for Hill against slower linebackers. While Hill will never be the elite of the elite such as Najee Harris or Travis Etienne project as, he could certainly make an NFL offense significantly better as well as more versatile.
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