Former Oklahoma State running back Justice Hill is a perfect fit for the Baltimore Ravens, who want to run more and faster.
Hill was a fourth-round pick (No. 113 overall) by the Ravens in the NFL Draft Saturday. Although a bit undersized (5-10, 195), Hill got a lot of attention with one of the best times in the 40-yard dash (4.4 seconds) during the NFL Combine.
Hill has speed and that’s what the Ravens wanted.
“I just try to be versatile,” Hill said during a conference call. “I just want to be able to run the ball inside, outside, catch the ball, do anything they want me to. I just want to make plays, get the ball in the end zone and win games.”
“It’s a chance to add more speed to this offense,” Ravens scouting director Joe Hortiz said. “He makes guys look bad in space.”
Hill did not visit Baltimore before the draft and was surprised at the pick.
Baltimore signed free agent running back Mark Ingram and they already have Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon.
After playing with drop-back passers for three years at OSU, Hill looks forward to playing with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
“It’s going to be nice having a dual threat,” Hill said. “Him being such a dangerous runner, he’s a great quarterback altogether. He’s won the Heisman Trophy, been to the top level, led the team last year. It’s going to be nice being in the backfield with him.”
That commitment to adding speed including drafting former Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown – maybe the fastest player in the draft – by Baltimore.
“(Hill is a) perfect fit with Lamar and an RPO-style offense,” OSU coach Mike Gundy told GoPokes.com.
In three years at OSU, Hill rushed for 3,539 yards on 632 attempts with 30 touchdowns. He didn’t play in the Liberty Bowl game against Missouri in December and entered the draft early.
At Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Hill rushed for 1,948 yards on 198 carries with 32 touchdowns.
Redskins draft Jordan Brailford
Former OSU defensive end Jordan Brailford, who played with Hill at BTW, was the next-to-the-last pick (No. 253) in the draft. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins.
Brailford was a two-time All-Big 12 selection during his time at OSU, earning first-team honors and leading the conference with 0.69 sacks per game as a redshirt junior in 2018. For his career, Brailford totaled 135 tackles (90 solo), 16 sacks and three forced fumbles.
Brailford is the fifth Cowboy to be drafted by the Redskins and the first since they took OSU wide receiver Ethan Howell in 2000, while Hill becomes the first Oklahoma State player drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.
OSU players have been drafted by a Baltimore-based NFL team, however, as six Cowboys were drafted by the Baltimore Colts from 1955-1979.
OSU has now had players drafted in 11 consecutive NFL Drafts going back to 2009. It extends the second-longest streak in school history and trails only the streak of 16 straight years from 1974-1989, when the draft format featured several more rounds than today’s seven-round format.