Tag: Jamal Hill

Watch: Highlights of new Texans LB Jamal Hill

The Houston Texans are adding a speedy linebacker with the addition of Oregon’s Jamal Hill. Take a look at his highlights down below.

The Houston Texans are adding another thumper up the middle.

The Texans selected Oregon linebacker Jamal Hill with the 188th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon.

Hill, a two-year starter at safety for the Ducks, visited with the franchise earlier this month as one of Houston’s top-30 visits. Linebacker was a position of need after losing both Denzel Perryman and leading tackler Blake Cashman in free agency, but one expected to be targeted after the first three rounds.

Last season, Hill totaled 31 tackles, five for losses and two sacks as a senior and forced two fumbles. As a junior under then-coach Dan Lanning, he totaled 50 stops.

Hill said he plans on moving down to linebacker permanently in Houston and plans to be one of the top special team standouts as a rookie.

“I’ll do whatever they want me to do on special teams,” Hill said in a Zoom interview after being drafted by the defending AFC South champions. “I think that will be my path my first few years in the NFL. I’m just happy. I’m overwhelmed. I’m happy to be a Texan. The best part of my game is running and attacking.”

Hill joins a linebacker room headlined by newcomer Azeez Al-Shaair and breakout second-year player Christian Harris. The duo should lock down the starting roles, but there’s little depth outside of second-year standout Henry To’oTo’o.

The Texans still have four picks entering the final round of the draft after training the No.189 overall pick in the sixth round to the Detroit Lions in exchange for their 205th overall pick and 249th pick.

These highlights from Oregon show exactly what Hill brings to the Texans’ defense in 2024.

Texans select LB Jamal Hill with 188th overall pick in 2024 NFL draft

The Houston Texans are adding a speedy linebacker with the addition of Oregon’s Jamal Hill.

The Houston Texans are adding another thumper up the middle.

The Texans selected Oregon linebacker Jamal Hill with the 188th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday afternoon.

Hill, a two-year starter at safety for the Ducks, visited with the franchise earlier this month as one of Houston’s top-30 visits. Linebacker was a position of need after losing both Denzel Perryman and leading tackler Blake Cashman in free agency, but one expected to be targeted after the first three rounds.

Last season, Hill totaled 31 tackles, five for losses and two sacks as a senior and forced two fumbles. As a junior under then-coach Dan Lanning, he totaled 50 stops.

Hill said he plans on moving down to linebacker permanently in Houston and plans to be one of the top special team standouts as a rookie.

“I’ll do whatever they want me to do on special teams,” Hill said in a Zoom interview after being drafted by the defending AFC South champions. “I think that will be my path my first few years in the NFL. I’m just happy. I’m overwhelmed. I’m happy to be a Texan. The best part of my game is running and attacking.”

Hill joins a linebacker room headlined by newcomer Azeez Al-Shaair and breakout second-year player Christian Harris. The duo should lock down the starting roles, but there’s little depth outside of second-year standout Henry To’oTo’o.

The Texans still have four picks entering the final round of the draft after training the No.189 overall pick in the sixth round to the Detroit Lions in exchange for their 205th overall pick and 249th pick.

Houston Texans draft Oregon LB Jamal Hill in the sixth round

Jamal Hill is headed to the Houston Texans as they drafted the Oregon linebacker in the sixth round.

Better late than never.

It took a while, but Oregon linebacker Jamal Hill heard his name called in NFL draft. The Houston Texans selected him in the sixth round.

It has been a productive third day of the draft for the Ducks. They have had several players selected in the later rounds, and Hill was the most recent.

At Oregon, Hill started in the secondary, but moved to the linebacker spot out of necessity. Hill played in all 14 games as a senior, making seven starts. He finished with 31 tackles (13 solo) while adding 5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. He also managed to get his first tackles for loss and sacks of his career.

As a sophomore, Hill was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Colts to host versatile Oregon LB Jamal Hill on pre-draft visit

The Colts are reportedly hosting versatile Oregon linebacker Jamal Hill on a pre-draft visit. Here is what you need to know.

The Indianapolis Colts are going to host Oregon linebacker Jamal Hill on an official pre-draft visit, according to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network. Fowler would add that Hill is “generating significant buzz” during this pre-draft process.

Hill stands 6-0 tall and weighs 218 pounds. He posted a Relative Athletic Score of 7.32, but that includes a 4.44-second 40 at his Pro Day, which Fowler notes would have been the second-fastest time among linebackers at the NFL Combine.

Hill would play 1,816 snaps during his five seasons at Oregon and do so all over the field. According to PFF, Hill played 107 snaps on the defensive front, 551 from the box, 276 as a free safety, and another 843 from the slot.

He’s been a very good tackler, missing only seven of his 82 attempts over the last two seasons. Hill also had more pass rush opportunities in 2023, totaling 13 pressures and two sacks.

In coverage, Hill allowed 11.1 yards per catch over his career, but that figure fell to 7.2 yards in 2023. He’s also totaled nine pass breakups and two interceptions.

Hill has the ability to line up at both linebacker and safety–two positions where the Colts could use added depth.

The linebacker position is in good shape for 2024, but EJ Speed and Ronnie Harrison are free agents in 2025, and behind those two and Zaire Franklin is a lot of inexperience.

The safety position is in a similar spot with Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas likely battling for the starting spot next to Julian Blackmon, who is back for 2024 but only on a one-year deal. After those three on the depth chart is also quite a bit of inexperience on defense.

Hill has the skill set to be utilized similarly to how Harrison has been in Gus Bradley’s defense.

Several former Ducks schedule upcoming visits with NFL teams

It’s visit season in the NFL with less than a month until the 2024 NFL Draft. Check out where these Ducks are flying.

The NFL Draft is less than one month away, and college prospects from around the country are finalizing their preparations for the 2024 draft by showcasing their skills at pro days and meeting with NFL teams.

For the Oregon Ducks, the 2024 NFL Draft is shaping up to be a historic one. More than 10 Ducks have the potential to be drafted, and for the first time since 2015, we could see multiple Ducks selected in the first round.

On Wednesday, it was announced that several Ducks will be visiting with NFL teams in the coming weeks. Each NFL team can extend up to thirty invites to draft prospects to tour their facilities, meet with the team, and take a physical. These meetings are called top 30 visits.

According to James Crepea of the Oregonian, defensive linemen Brandon Dorlus and Taki Taimani each have top 30 visits on the books, and outside linebacker Mase Funa will be participating in the Los Angeles Chargers prospect day. Muck Sports Representation also announced that inside linebacker Jamal Hill will be taking part in the Atlanta Falcons’ prospect day and taking multiple top 30 visits.

A month before the draft, Dorlus is expected to be a second or third-round pick, but the other three players mentioned are on the fringe of being selected, so impressing teams in these visits will be crucial. Hill has already done a good job of raising his draft stock this offseason, running an elite 4.41-second 40-yard dash at Oregon’s Pro Day two weeks ago.

‘I wish I did it earlier;’ Jamal Hill discusses move from safety to linebacker

Jamal Hill is transitioning from safety to linebacker for the Ducks this year, and so far he’s loving the move.

Utilizing his extra year of eligibility due to COVID, and entering his fifth season, Oregon Ducks defender Jamal Hill will be undertaking a major change. After being recruited as a safety, and playing in that role for the last four years, Hill is transitioning up in the box to play inside linebacker. 

The decision to change positions was made this past winter when Hill was looking for ways to modify his game to help the team. Head coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi suggested that he try a move from the secondary to linebacker. 

[lawrence-related id=41532]

It’s important to note that for the 2023 season, the Ducks have brought in four high-quality safeties — two out of high school in the 2023 recruiting class, and two from the transfer portal. In addition, 4-star linebacker Keith Brown announced that he is entering the transfer portal, depleting that position more than it already was. The added depth at safety and the newfound hole at the linebacker position could be a reason for Hill’s change in position.

So far, Hill seems to have embraced the change.

“It’s been fun, honestly,” he said. “I kind of wish I did it earlier.”

One of the reasons for his enthusiasm is that he is “close to all the action.

“I feel like I’m gonna be able to play a lot faster,” Hill said.

Stopping the run and bringing down ball carriers has been a strong suit of Hill’s in the past. In 2022, he logged 50 total tackles, grabbing 35 by himself, which should hopefully translate well to playing down closer to the line of scrimmage. 

[lawrence-related id=41485]

While Hill is enjoying the transition, it has challenged him.

“Everybody’s bigger. I’m used to kind of being the bigger person outside. Now everybody is bigger than me,” he said.

In an effort to combat this, Hill has adopted a new daily pushup routine, which has been assisted by teammate and Ducks running back, Bucky Irving. The two bust out 300 pushups per day. This has led to a roughly 15-pound weight gain over the offseason for Hill.

While Hill believes there are adjustments to be made this spring, he isn’t too worried about his ability to get to where he needs to be by the time fall rolls around. 

[lawrence-related id=41504]

“I mean, yes, it’s growing pains here and there. But I mean, it’s just football for me. So I don’t really think nothing is too hard,” he said.

Looking toward next season, ESPN’s Football Power Index has placed the Ducks at 13th in the country before the start of the season.  Some of the defensive struggles we saw last season could be why the Ducks aren’t ranked higher. Hopefully, Hill can use his veteran experience to make the Ducks’ front seven more consistent this spring and in the 2023 season. 

[mm-video type=video id=01gyecf5z7fztmk13ser playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gyecf5z7fztmk13ser/01gyecf5z7fztmk13ser-02f257e38758f57e6824ec03ef2c967c.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oregon Spring Position Battles: Transfers, position changes have all eyes on safety room

Between incoming transfers and potential position changes, Oregon’s position battle at safety will be fascinating to watch.

We got a nice taste of spring football over the past week in Eugene with the Oregon Ducks taking the field for a pair of practices before the students went on a two-week spring break, pausing football activities until April 4th.

While we patiently wait for practices to resume, I want to continue our in-depth look at some of the position battles on the roster for Dan Lanning and the rest of the coaching staff to observe over the coming weeks. While nothing will be finalized after spring ball concludes, it will give us all a good chance to look at where some people stand going into the summer months before fall camp starts.

We’ve already looked closely at the offensive line for the Ducks, as well as the wide receivers, cornerbacks, and linebackers. Let’s continue our deep dive by turning our focus again to the defensive secondary, this time parsing through the handful of candidates to take over as the starting safeties for the Ducks.

It’s important to note that while in the traditional sense of football, you have two safeties on the field; free safety and strong safety. However, in the new scheme that Lanning runs, Oregon will also generally deploy a nickel package, where a third safety comes onto the field to play alongside a boundary safety and field safety.

With that being said, here are the players who I think will vye for the most playing time at the safety position this season,

How Ducks’ safety room looks with Evan Williams transfer, return of Jamal Hill, Steve Stephens IV

With Jamal Hill and Steve Stephens coming back in 2023, plus Evan Williams’ transfer, how does the depth at Oregon’s safety position look?

One of the bigger question marks on the Oregon Ducks’ roster going into the 2023 offseason was on the defense, particularly when it came to the secondary. We knew that Bennett Williams was going to be taking off without any more eligibility remaining, but there were guys like Jamal Hill, Steve Stephens, and Bryan Addison, all of whom had decisions to make on whether or not they wanted to return in 2023 or not.

On Tuesday afternoon, we got a much clearer look at what the safety position will look like going into the fall.

The Oregonian’s James Crepea reported just after noon that both Hill and Stephens would be returning for another year in Eugene. This will be Hill’s fifth season with the Ducks, and Stephens’ sixth.

That news only further boosts the position which already got a positive development earlier in the month with Fresno State safety Evan Williams announcing that he would transfer to Oregon as well.

So with those three anchoring the back end of the secondary in 2023, who will be the other players to look for rotating throughout spring football and into the early part of the season? While the roster is still in flux with potential transfer between now and fall camp, here’s where the depth of the Ducks’ safety position currently stands.

With Bennett Williams out indefinitely, can Jamal Hill answer the call?

Jamal Hill has spent a lot of time as a starter in Oregon’s defense, but can he step up again in Bennett Williams’ indefinite absence?

The Oregon Ducks not only lost to Stanford for the fifth time in the past 20 years as a top-10 ranked team on Saturday; they also saw running back CJ Verdell go down with a lower leg injury that has the star out indefinitely.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, coach Mario Cristobal revealed after the game that defensive back Bennett Williams — who is tied for second in the conference with three interceptions — suffered a “freak injury” in practice on Friday and is also out indefinitely.

Without Williams on Saturday the team turned to Jamal Hill as his replacement. Hill led the team with eight combined tackles, a solid start for the sophomore, but replacing Williams will be about more than just making tackles – he’ll need to join the interception brigade in Oregon’s secondary.

As stated, Williams’ three interceptions is tied for second in the conference, behind fellow Oregon defensive back Verone McKinley III. Mykael Wright has one as well, helping give the Ducks among the best turnover differentials in the country.

For Oregon’s defense to continue to hum under new DC Tim DeRuyter, they’ll need Hill to display some ball-hawking abilities. Fortunately, Hill was touted as a safety with plus ball skills coming out of high school, and he picked off two passes during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Now, he’ll have a chance to step into a huge role on Oregon’s secondary, coming off their worst game of the season. How he responds to an increased role will go a long way toward helping this team right the ship for the rest of 2021.

[listicle id=9249]

Report: Majority of charges against DJ James and Jamal Hill dropped

According to a new report, the majority of charges against DJ James and Jamal Hill have been dropped.

According to a report from KVAL News, a majority of the charges that were pressed against two Oregon football players, DJ James and Jamal Hill, have been dropped.

KVAL News reports that court records show both players face only one count of reckless endangering for the August incident that saw the two defenders suspended for several weeks of fall camp, and the first game of the season against Fresno State.

They had originally faced additional counts of disorderly conduct and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Eugene police say the two of them targeted people near downtown, with three people reporting injuries.

James and Hill sat out last weekend’s game against Fresno State, but are listed as available for the upcoming game against Ohio State.

Both players are now scheduled to be in court Oct. 10.

[listicle id=6525]