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FOX analyst labels Ohio State LB Justin Hilliard a ‘Top 5 winner’ from Senior Bowl
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The draft stock of a college football player is usually determined throughout the course of a season or a career. But there are opportunities for guys to make some late efforts to prove to scouts that they can climb in draft status.
According to FOX Sports analyst RJ Young, Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard is one of those guys. The former Buckeye made the most of his opportunity during Senior Bowl week practices, as well as the game on Saturday.
Hilliard came in at No. 5 in Young’s Top 5 winners from the past week. That should be good news for the former Ohio State linebacker, who is hoping to secure a spot on an NFL roster.
Hilliard started in Saturday’s game and ended the contest with 4 tackles, including one for a loss. He was also critical on a 4th down stop in the contest, doing an excellent job in coverage to force and incompletion.
These guys improved their stock the most during the Senior Bowl, according to @RJ_Young 📈
Who were your big winners from the week? pic.twitter.com/kKSoCyL7BB
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 1, 2021
During the 2020 season, Hilliard stepped up in a big way for the Buckeyes. He totaled 33 tackles, 5 for loss, recorded an interception and forced a fumble as Ohio State went 7-1, winning a B1G title and playing for a national championship.
Will his big season and performance during the Senior Bowl bump him up in the NFL Draft? We’ll find out in a few months.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB