Texas’ Hill, Jr. punches the mark with football IQ | 2026 NFL Draft film review
2 min read
Former Texas LB Anthony Hill, Jr. ranks as one of the top linebackers available in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Former Texas linebacker Anthony Hill, Jr. made enough plays during his career to fill up an NFL Draft spreadsheet. Whether sacking the quarterback or crashing downhill versus the run, Hill, Jr. lit up opponents. With that said, the former Longhorn linebacker’s skill at punching out footballs perhaps stood out most.
Take this into consideration.
During a six-game stretch in 2024, the second-team All-SEC linebacker forced four fumbles. By and large -as Hill communicated with the Austin American Statesman last September – this skill (eight career forced fumbles) does not come without preparation.
“I watch film,” Hill, Jr. said. “I kind of see how high they’re holding the ball every play, I want to see when they’re cutting, are they keeping it high and tight, are they having it wide, to see what they’re doing with it. So I kind of see every play while I’m watching film and see how they hold the ball.
Another thing that translated quite well for Hill, Jr. during school was a communicative nature that stood out on film. He was consistently seen talking with teammates prior to the snap. That level of communication is much-needed at the all-important Mike linebacker position.
At the 2026 NFL Combine, the 6-foot-2, 238-pounder put together an impressive workout. He ran in the 4.5-range (4.51), stood out in the jumps (37″ VJ, 10’5″ BJ) and pumped out 21 reps (225 pounds) on the bench press.
All of those numbers pale in comparison to the one number he produced in school…eight. As in eight forced fumbles.
In a deep linebacker class for the 2026 NFL Draft, how does the rest of Hill, Jr’s game translate? We investigate in our film review.
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