Collin Hill, NFL player? Former USC QB speaks on future after pro day performance
Collin Hill walked out of South Carolina’s football practice facility last week with a good feeling.
The former South Carolina quarterback took part in the school’s pro day along with other Gamecock NFL hopefuls and showcased his talents in front of scouts and personnel.
While most of the 61 NFL team representatives in attendance were focused on guys such as likely first-round pick Jaycee Horn, Hill was happy how he performed. The 6-foot-4 Hill ran a 4.89 in the 40-yard dash and had 33 ½-inch vertical leap. He also was able to throw to former teammate Shi Smith and Kiel Pollard, among other receivers there at pro day.
“It was a good day. I was happy with the numbers I put out there,” Hill told The State. “I thought I had a good day testing but I was able to throw the ball well, too. It definitely helped me.
“Talked to a handful of teams afterwards and they had a lot of positive things to say. It was a day that definitely helped me out.”
It’s been a long road for Hill to get a shot at a career in the NFL. The former Dorman High School standout signed with Colorado State but suffered three torn ACLs in his time with the Rams, starting parts of three seasons across four years.
Hill played at South Carolina last season as a grad transfer, following former coach Mike Bobo from Colorado State to Columbia. He beat out Ryan Hilinski in the preseason and started eight games before freshman Luke Doty took over as the starter at the end of the season.
Hill completed 59.1% of his passes for 1,411 yards and six touchdown passes.
“I definitely wish we were more successful and I learned a lot,” Hill said of the 2020 season. “I was grateful for the opportunity. It was a weird year with COVID but I was glad to come home and play my last year here.”
Because of COVID-19, the NCAA granted all athletes another year of eligibility. Hill had the option of returning to USC for another season or to play somewhere else. But Hill announced in January he would begin training for a shot at the NFL.
“It was a pretty tough decision. It was in my best interest to give it a shot for sure,” Hill said. “I thought it was best for me to come out and train and see what happens.”
Hill has spent the last few months at the Boost training facility in Nashville and working on his quarterback skills with QB Country. He also took part in the College Gridiron Showcase in Texas in which players took part in drills and also talked with NFL teams.
“We have done really a bit of everything,” Hill said of his work with QB Country. “Worked on pocket movement, throwing off platform and still being accurate while you were on the move. That was a big point of emphasis and I really think I improved a lot there in the last couple months. It was an awesome experience and was cool to meet with guys from other schools.”
Now, Hill and the other hopefuls will play the waiting game over the next month before the NFL Draft takes place April 29-May 1. Hill isn’t in any of the mock NFL Draft projections, so a free-agent signing is the likely path to the pros.
For Hill, he just wants to get his foot in the door with an NFL team and prove his worth after all of the injuries and obstacles he has encountered during his college career.
“I have a different perspective. I don’t take things for granted,” Hill said. “I have to sit back and watch with all the injuries at times. When you do have the opportunity to get out and play, it is still so much fun. That is obviously still why I am still doing it and kept coming back. I definitely went through a lot, but it is worth it and I love the game.”
