Kylin
Hill.
Kylin
Hill.
Mississippi St.· 5'10"· 214 lb· 4.51s 40
"A 5-foot-10, 214-pound Mississippi State back with a 1,350-yard SEC bell-cow season, an Air Raid pivot to receiver, and a mid-2020 opt-out — a Round-7 rotational RB/returner projection built on contact balance and hands."Pre-draft read
Hill, a compact, one-cut zone back, leverages density and vision. His low pad level and squatty base make him hard to dislodge in the tackle box. His primary strength, contact balance, allows him to absorb initial hits and consistently fall forward for extra yards on inside-zone tracks. Vision is patient, pressing the front side, allowing second-level pullers to clear, then planting and driving north. He is not a home-run threat, as pursuit often catches him before he can outrun defensive backs.
As a receiver, he exhibits soft hands, natural adjustments on angle routes and swings, and legitimate slot alignment reps, a route feel uncommon for late-round backs. Pass protection is willing and technically sound in cup and cut blocks, though larger blitzers can move him on inside-out fits.
The ideal scheme for Kylin Hill is a Shanahan-style outside zone run game that uses multiple tight ends and thrives on misdirection, play-action, and a downhill running back.
His Year 1 role projects as a rotational back and kick returner with upside to develop into a reliable third-down option due to his receiving and pass-protection skills.
He would be a poor fit in a pure spread RPO offense that requires consistent perimeter runs and explosive breakaway speed from its primary backs.
Hill's versatile skillset as a runner, receiver, and returner, combined with his compact build and contact balance, allows him to contribute immediately in a variety of roles within a diverse offensive scheme.
Kylin Hill vs Kansas State — 232 yards, 3 TD
Signature 2019 bell-cow game showing contact balance and zone vision.
Mississippi State RB Kylin Hill Highlights
Career highlight reel covering interior runs and 2020 receiving usage.
Kylin Hill 2019 Highlights
Full 2019 SEC bell-cow season reel.
Hill projects as a Day 3 rotational back with a clear path to a 46-man roster spot via special teams. His game is built on contact balance and short-area burst as an interior runner, and he offers a legitimate two-way skill set as a receiver and returner, providing scheme flexibility likely to appeal to teams seeking a versatile back.
His collegiate career provided an unusual development arc, with his 2019 season showcasing his ability as an interior runner with roughly 1,350 rushing yards on an SEC schedule. A transition to a slot/receiving-back role in the Air Raid in 2020, followed by an opt-out, ultimately broadened his projection into a two-way back, adding valuable receiving tape.
Evaluators consistently viewed him as a Day 3 back due to a truncated senior tape and a lack of elite long speed. He offered a high floor as a special teamer and potential fourth back due to his verified athleticism, as evidenced by his 4.51 forty time, making him an appealing late-round depth piece with versatility. He was drafted with the 256th overall pick in the seventh round.
- 01
Contact Balance
Leverages density and a low pad level, absorbing hits through the tackle box and consistently falling forward for extra yards.
- 02
Zone Vision
Exhibits patient vision, pressing the front side on zone runs and allowing blockers to clear before planting and driving north.
- 03
Receiving Hands
Displays soft hands and natural adjustments on angle routes, showing legitimate slot alignment reps uncommon for a late-round back.
- 04
Pass Protection
Consistently willing and technically sound in pass protection, utilizing cup and cut blocks effectively against blitzers.
- 05
Special Teams Potential
Possesses traits to contribute on special teams as a returner, providing a clear path to a 46-man roster spot.
- 01
Limited Long Speed
Lacks the long speed to outrun defensive backs; pursuit often catches him before he can create home-run plays.
- 02
Inconsistent Usage
Collegiate career had an unusual development arc, with role changes and an opt-out, leading to a truncated senior tape.
- 03
Size Disadvantage
Larger blitzers can move him on inside-out fits in pass protection, despite his willing and sound technique.
- 04
Run Scheme Versatility
Primarily effective as an interior runner; less natural bouncing outside on wide zone or crack-toss schemes.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.51sp50
- Vertical
- 36inp50
- Broad jump
- 122inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.13sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.35sp50
- Bench
- 22repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mississippi State | 13 | 78 | 393 | 2 | 4 | 38 |
| 2018 | Mississippi State | 13 | 117 | 734 | 4 | 22 | 181 |
| 2019 | Mississippi State | 13 | 242 | 1350 | 10 | 18 | 180 |
| 2020 | Mississippi State | 3 | 15 | 58 | 0 | 23 | 237 |
| Career | — | 42 | 452 | 2535 | 16 | 67 | 636 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Compact zone runner with contact balance and return value whose ceiling is capped by injury and long-speed limits.
Two-way back whose value shows up as a receiver and third-down protector rather than volume between the tackles.
Athletic Day 3 back who never solved a defined NFL role and washed through practice squads.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Hill closed his Mississippi State career as a 5-foot-10, 214-pound senior with roughly 1,350 rushing yards in 2019 within the offense, followed by an Air Raid role change to slot receiver in 2020 and an in-season opt-out tied to his public stance on the Mississippi state flag. Pro-day testing produced a 4.51 forty, a 36-inch vertical, a 10-foot-2 broad, a 4.35 short shuttle, and 22 bench reps, translating to an 8.08 RAS — a solid athletic profile without elite long speed. Board consensus landed him as a Day 3 rotational back with real receiving and return value.
NFL fit — Green Bay Packers. Green Bay took Hill with the second-to-last pick of the 2021 draft, betting on the return traits and the two-way scheme fit as a No. 4 back behind Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. He made the initial 53-man roster as a rookie and contributed on kick returns and situational offense before tearing his ACL in Week 8 against Arizona, ending the season on injured reserve. The rehab bled into 2022, he never re-established a defined role, and he was released during the 2023 roster cycle, later cycling through practice-squad and CFL looks.
Retrospective. As the second-to-last pick, Hill's outcome tracks with slot expectations: a Day 3 rotational back who flashed the return and two-way traits that made him draftable before an ACL tear at the worst possible developmental window closed the door on an expanded role. The pick was defensible on process — verified athlete, real receiving background, teams value — but the injury and the churn of the Packers' backfield left him without an NFL foothold.