The Good and Bad of Anthony Hill Jr.'s Final Scouting Report After NFL Combine

With the 2026 NFL Combine officially in the books, scouts can now make nearly complete assessments of this year's class.

A total of seven Texas Longhorns competed in the event, meaning they are likely to get drafted at the end of April.

Each of those players' film has been reviewed and will be graded over the next week, starting with linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.

The Good

Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. setups up to rush the passer during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Hill arrived in Austin as the No. 1 linebacker in his class and quickly delivered on his upside.

After starting six games as a freshman, Hill blossomed into a leader for the Longhorns over the next two seasons, finishing his college career with 249 tackles, 17.5 sacks and 11 forced turnovers across 32 starts.

As a player, Hill is a versatile linebacker who played the will and mike positions for the Longhorns. He is slightly undersized but fills out his frame well.

He overcompensates for his stature with his freak athleticism, converting speed to power when attacking ball carriers and pullers downhill. He tested extremely well at the combine, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.93.

Hill is at his best moving towards the ball, which is why he is best suited playing at will at the next level.

Hill is more than a combination of speed and strength, he also processes the game well pre- and post-snap. He diagnoses run plays quickly without getting overzealous on play-action passes or read options.

When his recognition does not give him an edge, his instincts take over. Hill has a knack for finding the ball and producing when he does, forcing eight fumbles and three interceptions over the past three seasons.

Play of the Day No. 278: Colin Simmons beats Monroe Freeling across his face and lays out Nate Frazier. Anthony Hill Jr. reads Gunner Stockton the whole time and makes a good late adjustment for the easy interception (Texas vs. Georgia, 2025). #POTD pic.twitter.com/CJhASE6LlF
— Sam Teets (@Sam_Teets33) February 22, 2026

Hill's maturity also shows through in his ability to ignore unnecessary blocks in the second-level and keep himself free to make plays.

He possesses an advanced use of hand-fighting as a blitzer and when disengaging from blocks,

He has an above average motor, especially when pursuing players in the backfield.

Hill has also shown an ability to grow, both physically and as a player. After posting an abysmal tackling grade of 65.9 in 2024, he improved greatly and posted an 88.8 in 2025.

The Bad

Hill is powerful, but his lack of size can cause him to struggle when blocks get to him before he can get to them.

He benefitted from a heavy dose of run blitzes, allowing him to avoid the guesswork which usually comes with playing in the second-level.

He also played with inconsistent pad level, which can be a real problem for a linebacker of his size in the NFL.

While Hill had his moments in pass coverage, he was not asked to do higher level assignments often, and earned an overall pass coverage grade of 63.6 in his last year with the Longhorns.

He also struggles as an on-ball edge rusher, frequently being the last man off of the ball and lacking a consistent rush plan. While that is not his natural position, the NFL is becoming increasingly position-less, and many systems will ask Hill to be used in a variety of roles.

Final Grade

Texas linebacker Anthony Hill runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Overall, Anthony Hill Jr. is a hyper-athletic linebacker whose experience playing mike for several seaons against high-level competition has obviously developed his cognition.

While he still has room to grow in some areas of the game, his high-level traits should give NFL teams confidence that he can be molded into a player that fits any scheme.

The Good

The Bad

Final Grade

Final Grade: Early-Mid Round 2