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PlayerB.J. Hill · IDL, Cincinnati Bengals, Model Score 82.6Be the Bengals GM

B.J. Hill

Cincinnati Bengals
Pos IDL
Updated October 8, 2026
Compare B.J. Hill IDL rankings →

Model Score

82.6 MODEL
2018
82.2
2019
69.7
2020
71.1
2021
84.5
2022
81.5
2023
82.6
2024
80.2
2025
82.6

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Back-to-back tier 2 finishes (#15, #15) in 2021-2022 plus three straight tier 4 finishes (2023-2025) confirms the structural mid-prime ceiling exists with consistent production. The NC State 3rd-round origin plus the Super Bowl LVI appearance gives him real championship-pedigree veteran value. The 2026 question is whether Hill returns to tier 3 territory or whether the structural tier 4 finish becomes the stable late-prime baseline.

Hill came out of NC State as the New York Giants' 3rd-round pick (69th overall) in 2018 and was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 for Billy Price. He played in Super Bowl LVI with the Bengals. His STTM career runs tier 2 (#15) in 2021 and 2022, tier 4 (#25) in 2023, tier 4 (#27) in 2024, and tier 4 (#28) in 2025.

Strengths

  • Back-to-back tier 2 finishes (#15, #15) in 2021-2022 plus Super Bowl LVI appearance confirms structural top-15 IDL ceiling.
  • Eight years of NFL starter reps across two systems plus the consistent tier 4 floor gives him real veteran market value.

Concerns

  • Three straight tier 4 finishes (2023-2025) after the 2021-2022 tier 2 peak confirms the structural age-related decline is real.
  • Cincinnati's broader defensive identity transition around Trey Hendrickson's contract dispute compresses the structural support around Hill.

What to watch: Whether Hill returns to tier 3 (top 25) in 2026, the threshold for confirming the 2021-2022 ceiling is still reachable.

Comps

Coming out
pros whose college production, size and testing looked like his
Terrance Knighton56%DaQuan Jones53%Angelo Blackson51%

B.J. Hill Injury StatusQuestionable

B.J. Hill is listed Questionable (Achilles), reported Oct 6. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.

Draft & College

Round 3, pick 69 · New York Giants · 2018
NC State (ACC)
Taken
#69
where he actually went
Consensus board
86th
average of the public big boards that spring
Our college model
#512
among IDL in our college data

He went about where consensus had him.

In college · 2016-2017 · 24 games · partial record
3.0 sacks, 6 TFL, 9 pressures, 93 tackles

Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.

Coming out
4.99s
40 yd
35 reps
Bench
26.5"
Vertical
101"
Broad
7.28s
3-cone
4.53s
Shuttle
What this pick usually becomes

Of the 410 players taken as a third-rounder between 2012 and 2021, 51% earned a second contract and 39% became starters. The median one started 21 career games.

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