RB Justice Hill pegged as rookie breakout candidate

Though he has yet to play a snap of professional football, Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill is already garnering hype.

Speaking on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” analyst Peter Schrager identified Hill as the rookie running back he is most excited to watch in 2019.

“Justice Hill is your home-run hitter,” Schrager said about Hill, a fourth-round selection. “At Oklahoma State he was an absolute fireworks show. You have your three yards and a cloud of dust guys in [Gus] Edwards and [Mark] Ingram, you have the offensive line, you’ve got the best blocking tight ends in the league and you’ve got a running quarterback.”

With a 4.4-second 40-yard dash time, Hill presents a skill set and build (5 feet 10, 210 pounds) that Ravens staff are very excited about.

“He is an athletic kid who flies, hits the hole hard and he can finish runs both inside and outside,” Ravens director of college scouting Joe Horitz said. “Just a lot of fun to watch. He’s so quick and sudden. You guys saw his highlights probably. He makes guys look bad in space with the ability to lower his shoulder and get yards on contact.”

Though the Baltimore backfield is already packed with talent — Hill joins the very qualified trio of running backs Edwards, Ingram and Kenneth Dixon — Schrager figures that the rookie can still make his mark as a dynamic change-of-pace back.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh seems to be of a similar mind.

“But he’s a guy that can take it,” said Harbaugh of Hill in an April post-draft press conference. “If he gets a crease, if he gets an opening with our downhill run game the way we do it, the first part of this system, all those runs that we run – those off-tackle, downhill, double-team runs – if he gets a crack, they’re going to be chasing him.”