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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – As the NFL Draft drew to a close last month, the Packers got what many considered a steal when Kylin Hill was still on the board late in the seventh round.
While Mississippi State's football program underwent significant change during his four years in Starkville, Hill was an offensive pillar for the Bulldogs, producing 3,166 yards from scrimmage with 22 touchdowns in 30 career games.
This summer, Hill is one of four young running backs who'll be competing for the No. 3 job behind the backfield tandem of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
Jon-Eric Sullivan, the Packers' co-director of player personnel, was a big fan of the 5-foot-10, 214-pound running back from the start – all the more reason why General Manager Brian Gutekunst was startled to find Hill still available when the Packers went on the clock in the seventh round at No. 251.
"He's a very talented individual," said Gutekunst of Hill last month. "We were surprised to see him on the board that late and were kind of holding our breath there in the seventh round, but we were excited to get him. He's an explosive athlete as a runner, catches the ball really well, and he may be able to add some special-teams value, as well."
Hill, known for his shifty and elusive running style, was a four-star recruit for Dan Mullen in 2017. The following year, during Joe Moorhead's inaugural year as head coach, Hill captured the starting job in the Bulldogs' backfield.
Hill rushed for 734 yards and four TDs on 117 carries in 11 starts in 2018. He eclipsed 100 rushing yards on three occasions, including a dominant 211-yard performance with three scores (two rushing, one receiving) in a 31-10 win over Kansas State.
Hill's offensive coordinator that season? Current Packers passing-game coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Luke Getsy.
"He was a special player, man, for us there," Getsy said. "He had the ability to run the ball between the tackles and you could be on the plus-20(-yard line) or the minus-20 and he had the ability to score.
"He's a guy who we built a lot of what we did at Mississippi State around him and around his ability."