Thursday Night NFL Draft Watch: Arizona WR Austin Hill

Aug 29, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Austin Hill (29) runs the ball for a touchdown during the third quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

There’s only one FBS college football game happening on Thursday night, and it’s pitting the Arizona Wildcats vs. UT-San Antonio’s Roadrunners.

Not an overly exciting or riveting game on the surface, but if you’re reading this website, chances are you care a little bit more about most college football games than the average football fan.

The biggest reason to watch this game is for Arizona’s star receiver, RS Senior Austin Hill. Hill missed all of 2013 with an ACL injury, but finished his 2012 season with a huge stat line, including 81 catches for 1,364 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging nearly 17 yards per reception.

His draft stock obviously takes a hit due to the fact that he was injured all of last year, but this is a player with good size at 6’2″ 21o pounds who came out in Arizona’s first game this year and picked up right where he left off in 2012. He led the Wildcats with 11o yards receiving on just three catches, one that went for a touchdown.

Hill clearly has an ability to make big plays, which is on display in this video cutup from the great folks at Draft Breakdown —

He is a player with a big, long frame that can make catches away from his body and adjust to poorly thrown balls. He’s solid after the catch and can really turn on the jets if he wants to. In that video cutup, you can see him working from the slot. That kind of versatility will only help him as he transitions to the next level.

This is a really intriguing player. The more you watch, the more you see him working from the slot, where he’s a major mismatch. He gets separation at the line and is able to physically out-work defensive backs even in those videos at a really young age.

Watch him tonight to see how he does following up a fine week one performance.