Hilliard’s hill to the NFL
COLUMBUS, Ohio (BVM) — The road to professional sports is not one that many are blessed to endure. Like most roads, they are constructed through taxes but, for athletes, the tax is much more than financial.
The phrase — blood, sweat and tears — comes to mind when in thought about the journey to the professional level. But what is often left out is the academic strain, pressure from the hype and, for Justin Hilliard’s sake, the lack of playing time due to catastrophic injuries.
Hype was definitely a word that surrounded the former Ohio State linebacker. Coming out of Cincinnati’s own St. Xavier High School, Hilliard was a consensus top–50 recruit in the 2015 class.
According to the 247Sports Composite ranking — a ranking that compiles the recruiting rankings from most of the major recruiting websites — Hilliard was tabbed as the No. 1 recruit from Ohio.
This is notable as Hilliard was ranked above future NFL third-round picks Jerome Baker and Dre’Mont Jones, future top-five pick Denzel Ward and future Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick, Joe Burrow. Furthermore, Hilliard would be ranked as the No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 35 overall while being rated as a five-star recruit.
Hilliard in his high school career would rack up 100 total tackles with 64 of them being solo. Two interceptions and forced fumbles would also be attributed to his name. In his senior season, Hilliard would rack up 47 total tackles with 22 being solo, seven tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble which made him a U.S. Army, MaxPreps and USA Today All-American.
The linebacking standout would also attend Nike’s Opening camp.
The Cincy native decided to follow the aforementioned recruits and sign with Ohio State over the likes of Notre Dame, Alabama, Iowa and state-rival, Michigan.
Unfortunately for the Ohio product, this was where Hilliard’s road to the NFL became less of a smooth stretch of asphalt and more of a rocky hill to climb.
As one would expect, Hilliard was one of the headlining stars of the 2015 Ohio State recruiting class and thus the hype train would make a journey from Cincinnati to Columbus, Ohio. But, injuries and the depth chart derailed the locomotive altogether.
The Queen City native would take a redshirt year for a combination of two things. The 2015 Ohio State football team featured three future NFL players in Joshua Perry, Raekwon McMillan and Darron Lee, so the chances of starting were slim.
And then, Hilliard’s right biceps would tear, putting him out for the 2015-16 season indefinitely.
After his redshirt year, Hilliard would once again suffer an injury that made him miss nearly the entire 2016-17 season due to injury. Hilliard’s right biceps injury would force him to miss a good amount of spring practice in 2016. Then, after appearing in only three games — mostly as a special teamer — he tore his left biceps.
After recovering from his two biceps injuries, Hilliard saw a limited role on defense while becoming a special teams ace. During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Hilliard would record 34 total tackles, 24 solo tackles and two pass breakups in 19 total games. But, Hilliard would be in for more misery leading up to the 2019 season.
Hilliard would rupture his Achilles during spring practice which would require him to once again miss time. This injury would not keep Hilliard out for very long as he worked his way back to being cleared by the third game of the season against Indiana.
Hilliard again would make his presence known as a special teamer, but also made an impact on defense as well. As a rotational piece, Hilliard had 13 total tackles, three tackles for loss and recorded an interception during a game against Penn State.
Justin Hilliard with a huge interception to end a Penn State drive pic.twitter.com/rF0JjP6OPD
— Buckeye Sports Bulletin (@Buckeye_Sports) November 23, 2019
After applying for a sixth year of eligibility due to medical history, Hilliard was granted another year to prove his worth in the scarlet and grey uniform. Despite limited games and pandemic restrictions, Hilliard saved his best for last by becoming a team captain and tallying 33 total tackles, 20 solo tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.
Just what the doctor ordered for #OhioState Justin Hilliard with a huge interception! #B1GFCG pic.twitter.com/0xQhE9UKTS
— Brandon Carr (@bcarr_13) December 19, 2020
Hilliard went through the wringer at Ohio State and never was able to capture the hype behind him in high school mainly due to injury. But, Hilliard’s perseverance and determination finally paid off when he earned an invite to the Senior Bowl.
Down in Mobile, Ala., Hilliard made his name heard as he was named a starter for the National team where he put four tackles up on the stat sheet. His play impressed the attending teams enough for him to earn a shot for a spot on an NFL roster.
No player in 2021 draft helped himself more over past two months than @OhioStateFB LB Justin Hilliard (@JHilliard47). Former 5⭐️ overcame string of injuries to excel in CFP and was one of top performers Senior Bowl week. This drop & drive is exactly what NFL is looking for at LB. pic.twitter.com/9TMF7sgG8W
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 11, 2021
Hilliard would go undrafted during the 2021 NFL Draft but this would not be the end for his NFL hopes. As soon as the last pick in the draft is taken, undrafted free agents can talk to teams and sign anywhere they please; Hilliard was among the ones who signed after the draft.
The San Francisco 49ers would offer a $95,000 base salary contract with a $30,000 signing bonus to which Hilliard signed according to Tom Pelissero. Luckily for Hilliard, he would be meeting up with some familiar faces from college in 2019 No. 2 overall pick Nick Bosa and Trey Sermon, who was taken with the 88th pick in the third round of the 2021 draft.
Beyond thankful for this opportunity w/ the @49ers. Being counted out is nothing new to me. Back to work 🤌🏾 https://t.co/4qAbrMj8yY
— Justin Hilliard (@JHilliard47) May 3, 2021
Hilliard’s contract size tips the hat to the thought that he will in fact make the 49ers roster.
Despite the three injuries he sustained in college, Hilliard is bringing with him four Big Ten titles, five pairs of Golden Pants — which are given to the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan game — four bowl game titles, a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s in consumer sciences.
Hilliard’s road was certainly not one he probably imagined when he first set foot on Ohio State’s campus. But, take it from his former teammate and friend Joe Burrow, “guy has been through it all.”
