You could tell in high school that Anthony Hill Jr. had a professional football career in his future. Maybe it was the fact that he was born in the same Wichita, Kansas hospital as Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.
Raised in Texas where football is king, Hill was an All American in high school, had more than 300 tackles over three seasons and was rated the fourth best prospect in the state by Rivals. He initially committed to Texas A&M but later changed his mind and went to the University of Texas.
In 2023, Hill was named Co Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All American. He played in 14 games for the Longhorns, starting six, and had 66 tackles, eight for loss and five sacks. His breakout game came in a win at third ranked Alabama when Hill recorded a pair of sacks.
He started every game as a sophomore in 2024 but only 10 in his junior season. Hill missed the final two games with an injury. Despite that, he still earned second team All SEC and second team All American recognition. He was also a finalist for the Dick Butkus award. He declared for the draft and did not play in the Longhorns bowl game.
His Texas career covered 40 games, 32 of which were starts. he totaled 31.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and forced 11 turnovers.
Joe Marino provides draft analysis for WGR. His website is thejoemarino.com and you can also subscribe to his Locked On Bills Podcast. Here are Joe's thoughts on Hill.
Positives:
The appeal here is size and athleticism. He's going to check those boxes that you're looking for in terms of height, weight, length, movement skills. He's got it, and it shows up on the field. He's got terrific range, terrific change of direction skill, the lateral mobility is outstanding. He's a very short tackler. He plays under control, and there's a coverage profile that's really appealing. He's been tasked with a lot, whether that's man or zone, and you feel very comfortable about how he can play in space.
Negatives:
Downhill processing for me. I think he made a lot of plays against the run, but maybe was a beneficiary of some run blitzes. So I don't know that he's a super instinctive player when he's playing into the line of scrimmage. I think where you get concerned about that, is when he does have to take on and deconstruct blocks. I'm looking for more physicality and more block deconstruction skills so he can get off contact and be more consistent when he's playing you.
The NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
The Bills have a number of needs on defense going into the draft, including linebacker. Anthony Hill Jr. is one of the LB prospects.
