After an impressive 2018, New York Giants third-round pick B.J. Hill is looking to take his talents to the next level. Playing on the interior of a defensive front that will feature Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence, Hill has the potential to be the best of the three.
Last year, he tallied 5.5 sacks, 48 combined tackles, 8 quarterback hits, and 6 tackles for a loss. Hill was inconsistent at times but flashes serious potential over the course of his rookie season. Surprisingly, B.J. earned the accolade for most sacks by a rookie defensive lineman in Giants history. He was second on the team behind recently traded pass-rusher, Olivier Vernon.
Upon entering the NFL, Hill played in a 4-3 base set for North Carolina State but was moved to the 3-4 when drafted by the Giants. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher utilized him heavily early on in the season in an attempt to provide him with ample experience. That experience will surely translate over to his sophomore season in 2019.
The New York Giants could have a sneaky good defensive front this season:
I anticipate him being not only a force in the run game but in the pass-rush game as well. He has a fantastic motor that seems to always be pushing on the interior. With Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines, and Markus Golden featuring as the outside linebackers and quarterbacks hunters, it will give Hill the opportunity to expose the pocket from the interior.
The success of the outside linebackers with ultimately help Hill reach his potential. Quarterbacks moving up in the pocket to avoid pressure is where Hill earns his paycheck, breaking through the trenches and swallowing up passers as they avoid incoming defenders.
General manager Dave Gettleman broke down what he liked about Hill when he was drafted and why he’s going to be a force in the NFL:
“B.J. is a powerful, tough son of a gun and sometimes as a defensive lineman at the college level, you’ll see them in these three-point stances and then you’ll see them in the four-point frog stance, and in the four-point frog stance they’re not going to get any pass rush,” Gettleman stated. “But when his hand is in the dirt in the three-point, he showed the ability to get upfield, flip his hips and track the guy down, so we’re really pretty pleased. Again, both those guys [Dexter Larwence] had second round value for us, so we’re really pleased for that.”
If Hill can reach his potential, he will be one of the more value-centric players on the team coming out of the third round. Gaining a quality starter from the spot in the draft only shows the success Gettleman had in 2018, and the most recent draft doesn’t look much worse. Gaining defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence will aid in the completion of the front three tremendously.