Penn State defensive lineman Jordan Hill was one of three Nittany Lions participating in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Monday. Hill had made a name for himself in Big Ten play as one of the top defensive players in the conference, but how did he do when going up against many of the nation's top defensive linemen from around the country in the biggest off-season NFL event leading up to the NFL Draft?
The NFL Combine did not yield terrific results for Hill compared to others who were in Indianapolis to show off their skills for NFL scout, coaches and more. His lack of size makes Hill somewhat of an underdog but scouts seem to approve of the way he is able to make up for his short build. What scouts want to see out of Hill is more consistency. Heading in to the NFL Draft Hill was graded anywhere between a fourth and seventh round draft pick.
Last year's NFL Draft saw 22 defensive tackles drafted by NFL teams, with 12 going in the fourth round or later (five in the seventh round alone). Despite a lack of stand-out performances in the NFL Combine, could still be a late-round pick-up by some NFL team looking to fill a defensive roster spot, but he likely did not improve his draft stock while in Indianapolis.
40-Yard Dash: 5.23 seconds
Hill failed to impress anyone with his speed, finishing in the bottom half of the workout among defensive linemen. This is a concern for some scouts, who note Hill is not tremendously quick. Many of the top linemen were able to run the signature event in about half a second less than Hill.
Among defensive linemen, top times were turned in by Connecticut's Trevado Williams (4.57 seconds), LSU's Barkevious Mingo (4.58), SMU's Margus Hunt (4.60), Oregon's Dion Jordan (4.60) and Auburn's Corey Lemonier (4.60).
Bench Press: 28 reps
Hill represented himself well on the bench press with 28 reps, but that put him just about in the middle of the pack. Scouts have noted Hill lacks superior strength, which will lead to him being pushed around by opposing offensive linemen at the next level.
Top bench press numbers were turned in by SMU's Hunt (38 reps), Missouri Southern State's Brandon Williams (38), Illinois's Akeem Spence (37), and Mississippi State's Josh Boyd (32 reps).
Vertical Jump: 22.5 inches
The vertical jump was not a particularly good event for Hill. Just one player participating in the workout recorded a lower vertical jump score (Georgia Tech's T.J. Barnes, 22.0 inches). The top performers in the workout all jumped at least ten inches higher than Hill.
Top vertical jumps were recorded by Connecticut's Williams (38.0 inches), Harding's Ty Powell (37.0), LSU's Mingo (37.0), Texas A&M's Damontre Moore (35.5), Ohio State's Nate Williams (35.0) and South Carolina's Devin Taylor (35.0).
Broad Jump: 103.0 inches
Like the vertical jump, the broad jump was not exceptionally strong for Jordan Hill. Jumping 103 inches put Hill firmly in the bottom half of the defensive linemen participating with just six others finishing below him. Many others were able to add an extra foot on to Hill's total, while top performers were traveling as much as an extra 20 inches on their broad jumps compared to Penn State's lineman.
Top broad jump totals were recorded by LSU's Mingo (128.0 inches), South Carolina's Taylor (128.0), Connecticut's Williams (124.0), Harding's Ty Powell (122.0), Oregon's Dion Jordan (122.0) and Texas A&M's Moore (122.0).
Source: 2013 NFL Combine Tracker via NFL.com
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