Articles

By Spiro KasaBian @nyspawtsguy_spi

The New York Giants have themselves a quality player in B.J. Hill.  If Hill can improve on his stellar rookie year, the Giants will have a perennial Pro Bowl talent on their defensive line for many years to come.  The early returns have been nothing but positive for the big defensive lineman.

B.J. Hill from NC State was taken in the 3rd round by the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft.  Hill was overlooked a bit because of Top 5 pick, Bradley Chubb.  Many would argue that he made just as big of an impact and was vital to the Giants success. 

Hill played in 48 games over four years for the Wolfpack and compiled 183 tackles (23.5 Tackles for Loss) to go along 8 sacks.  However, coming into the NFL Draft, many considered him to be more of a run-stopper than a pass-rusher from the Defensive Tackle spot. 

What stood out to Dave Gettleman when watching Hill’s Wolfpack tape, was the way he was able to “flip his hips”.

“He’s got things to learn, but again, I like the way that he’s strong up field and the ability to flip his hips,” Gettleman said after the 2018 draft. “If a guy can’t flip his hips, he can’t rush the passer unless the guy in front of him falls down.

That gave the Giants reason to believe that he could become a successful pass rusher in the NFL from the interior of the defensive line.  Hill ended up having one of the most productive defensive rookie seasons in the league last year.

 2018 Statistics

  • 16 Games Played (12 Starts)
  • 48 Tackles (32 solo)
  • 5.5 Sacks
  • 6 Tackles for Loss
  • 8 QB Hits

Hill also finished 3rd in the NFC East with 22 Run Stops (Teammate Tomlinson led the division with 26).  By almost every metric, Hill outperformed his draft position and only got better as the season wore on.  For a player that was dubbed as strictly a run-stopper, Hill put up fantastic rookie numbers on a defense that was bereft of talent.

With his first year under his belt, B.J. Hill has the talent and the motor to progress his game even further.  He will be a “Day One” starter in 2019 and should be a part of a stout defensive line along with Dexter Lawrence and Dalvin Tomlinson.  B.J.’s leadership qualities were talked about throughout his tenure at NC State, and that will carry over to him being a leader on the New York Giant defense starting this year.

2019 Projections

  • 16 Starts
  • 60 Tackles (45+ Solo)
  • 6.5 Sacks
  • 18 TFL
  • 12 QB Hits