K.j.
Hill.
K.j.
Hill.
Ohio St.· 6'0"· 196 lb· 4.60s 40
"The Chargers bet the 220th pick on Ohio State's polished record-setting slot receiver, but a 4.60 40 and little separation limited him to 10 NFL catches in two short seasons."Pre-draft read
Hill was a slot receiver in Ohio State's spread offense, a 6-0, 196-pound route technician who lined up mostly inside and worked the short and intermediate middle of the field. His primary trait was route craft: he set up defenders with tempo changes, sank his hips at the break and found soft spots against zone coverage, which made him a reliable target on third down.
His secondary trait was dependable hands and a steady feel for sitting down in space, although he offered little vertical threat. He was a willing blocker in the run game but not a physical one. His athletic ceiling was limited after a 4.60 40, and his signature was the consistency that produced catches in dozens of consecutive games.
West Coast or spread passing offense built on option routes and zone beaters that reward timing and precise breaks.
Year 1: fifth receiver and backup punt returner. Ceiling: possession slot receiver on third downs.
Vertical, play-action offense that needs receivers to win deep and stretch safeties on every snap.
His value depended on timing throws more than athletic separation.
The most slept on WR in the Big 10 K.J. Hill Ohio State Highlights
Ohio State highlights from his college career.
What happened to Ohio State's K.J. Hill?
Retrospective on his college and NFL career.
Hill projected as a polished, reliable slot receiver whose lack of speed and explosiveness limited his ceiling. Evaluators liked his route running, hands and understanding of coverage, but questioned whether he could separate from NFL nickel corners or create after the catch.
After a redshirt year in 2015, he caught 18 passes in 2016, led the Buckeyes with 56 catches in 2017 and posted 70 catches for 885 yards and six touchdowns in 2018, including a 187-yard game against Minnesota. He returned for 2019 and caught 57 passes with 10 touchdowns, finishing with 201 career receptions, a school record at the time. The flags were a 4.60 40, a modest vertical jump and limited return value that would not guarantee him a roster spot.
Most boards viewed him as a late-round slot receiver with a high floor but little upside. The Chargers took him at No. 220, a bet on a productive, well-coached receiver who could compete for the slot role and help on punt returns.
- 01
Route technician
Changed tempo, sank his hips at the break and set up defenders with polished footwork learned in Ohio State's offense.
- 02
Reliable hands
Caught passes in dozens of consecutive games and finished his Ohio State career with 201 receptions, then a school record.
- 03
Zone awareness
Found soft spots between defenders against zone coverage and knew when to sit down, making him a dependable third-down target.
- 04
Steady production
Posted at least 56 catches in each of his final three seasons, peaking with 70 catches for 885 yards in 2018.
- 05
Red zone growth
Scored 10 touchdowns as a senior in 2019, nearly doubling his previous career total by winning on short routes near the goal line.
- 01
Limited speed
Ran a 4.60 40 at the combine and rarely threatened defenses vertically, which let safeties squeeze his routes underneath.
- 02
Little after the catch
Lacked the burst and elusiveness to turn short catches into long gains against NFL tacklers in space.
- 03
Slot-only projection
His size and speed limited him to the slot, reducing his value on rosters that wanted receivers with inside and outside flexibility.
- 04
Modest return value
Averaged only about five yards per punt return in 2017, so he could not lean on special teams to earn a roster spot.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.60sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 114inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 17repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Ohio State | 11 | 18 | 262 | 1 |
| 2017 | Ohio State | — | 56 | 549 | 3 |
| 2018 | Ohio State | — | 70 | 885 | 6 |
| 2019 | Ohio State | — | 57 | 636 | 10 |
| Career | — | 11 | 201 | 2332 | 20 |
ESPN season totals; redshirted 2015 (no season listed). Also 4 rushes for -1 yard and 47 punt returns for 258 yards. Games verified only for 2016 (11 of 13).
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Slot and return depth piece who needed special teams value to stick on rosters.
Slow-testing, route-savvy slot who became a productive target from the late rounds.
The realized outcome: a polished slot who could not separate enough to hold a role.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Hill made the Chargers roster as a rookie in 2020 and played 15 games, catching seven passes for 73 yards while returning punts. He appeared in six games in 2021 with three catches for 30 yards before the Chargers waived him in October. He did not play another NFL regular-season game, later spent time with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2024 without reaching the active roster, and in 2026 joined South Florida's staff as an offensive analyst, beginning a coaching career.
In hindsight Hill was a miss, although not an unusual one for a seventh-round slot receiver. The speed and separation concerns that dropped him to pick No. 220 proved decisive, since his polish and hands were not enough to beat NFL nickel corners or earn a return role. He finished his NFL career with 21 games, 10 catches, 103 yards and no touchdowns, well short of the reliable slot projection his Ohio State production once suggested to evaluators.