2021 NFL Draft: Day 3 linebackers for Las Vegas Raiders to target
2021 NFL Draft: Day 3 linebackers for Las Vegas Raiders to target
Buckeyes . Justin Hilliard. 2. player. 812. . LB
Justin Hilliard came to Ohio State with high expectations as a five-star recruit and the number one overall recruit in Ohio but injuries kept him from reaching those lofty heights. After redshirting his freshman year in 2015, Hilliard would go on to have season-ending biceps surgery in 2016 and tore his Achilles after the 2018 season.
In six years at Ohio State, Hilliard featured in 48 games but started just 7 due to his lengthy injury history. The gamble on Justin Hilliard is that he is past his injury issues and that his high level of talent will be able to shine through in spurts at the NFL level. He does not have incredible speed, having run a 4.81 40 at his pro day, but he does have great hips and excelled in coverage at the college level.
He is not the thumper that Britt is but he did have a great 2020 season and only missed a game because of a positive COVID test, not because of injury. The Raiders will have to trust their medical evaluators to see if he is ready to make the leap to the NFL but this is precisely the sort of player you can use a 6th or 7th round pick on.
Hilliard has NFL-level talent and has shown he can be productive when healthy, but the only question is his health so the Raiders will have to decide if he is worth the gamble. If healthy, he could very well be one of the steals of the draft on day three.