The New York Giants locked up another member of their 2018 draft class by signing B.J. Hill to his rookie contract.
The New York Giants locked up their third-round pick, as the team announced on Twitter that they have signed B.J. Hill.
The #NYGiants have signed 3rd round draft pick B.J. Hill pic.twitter.com/BwKDm3Mpcj
— New York Giants (@Giants) June 7, 2018
Hill played four seasons as a defensive tackle at North Carolina State University. He had 183 total tackles (76 solo), adding in eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and two recovered fumbles. He played most of his time on the line with fifth overall pick Bradley Chubb.
He saw significant action as a freshman, which is rare for a lineman, as college teams usually prefer to give them a year to add muscle and bulk up before taking on bigger offensive linemen. He played 11 games as a freshman. He showed durability as well, playing 12 games each as a sophomore and junior, and 13 as a senior.
Hill figures to rotate anywhere along the defensive line in coordinator James Bettcher’s 3-4 defense. Damon Harrison is expected to play nose tackle and Dalvin Tomlinson is lined up to be on the line most plays as well.
Olivier Vernon will also see time at defensive end, although he is expected to play a hybrid role and spend some time at outside linebacker as well. Hill can work his way into playing on the line when Vernon kicks to linebacker, and he can be a substitute for Harrison and Tomlinson as well when Vernon is on the line.
Hill is the fourth member of the Giants draft class to sign their rookie contracts, joining second-round pick Will Hernandez, fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta, and fellow third-rounder Lorenzo Carter.
Second overall pick Saquon Barkley, who has dominated OTAs, and fifth-round pick R.J. McIntosh have yet to sign. The Giants hope that Hill can help them get their defensive line back to dominance.
