We are now just 75 or so days from the 2026 NFL Draft! Draft season is fully upon us, and the Bucs’ positional needs are well-defined at the moment. Free agency is sure to address some of those needs, but Tampa Bay will need to use draft resources to improve their roster as well.

I have been focusing on the defensive side of the ball in my early preparation, specifically on the linebacker position, and I’ve got another profile – this time on Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. The Bucs’ current linebacker room is very thin and did not perform particularly well last year.

Here is a quick recap of the linebacker profiles I have completed to this point:

Draft: Sonny Styles, Owen Heinecke, Kyle Louis, Arvell Reese, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Jacob Rodriguez, Justin Jefferson, C.J. Allen

Free Agents: Nakobe Dean, Devin Bush

Another linebacker getting considerable buzz is Hill.

Anthony Hill Jr. Background and College Career

Anthony Hill Jr. was a five-star recruit – No. 17 overall and No.1 linebacker overall out of Denton TX in the 2023 recruiting class. As a senior in high school, he registered 58 tackles and one sacks in just six games. The year prior, he put up 131 tackles and eight sacks in 14 games.

As a freshman at Texas, he played significant snaps in 14 games, starting six of the final seven. That season he totaled 67 tackles, eight tackles for loss and five sacks. He led the SEC in tackles for loss (16.5) and forced fumbles (four) the following season in addition to eight sacks and 113 tackles.

His final year with the Longhorns he had 69 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles over 10 games as a senior.

Here is a look at his production profile in 2025 compared to other college linebackers.

Scouting Report

Athleticism

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 238 pounds

Anthony Hill Jr. has a great size profile for the position. He is the picture of what a modern-day linebacker ideally looks like. His long arms are an asset in all phases of the game, helping him disrupt throwing windows, wrap up ball carriers off his frame and get hands on the quarterback when rushing the pocket. The Texas star’s weight puts him towards the top of this draft class, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he clears 240 by the NFL Scouting Combine. He has fluid hips and ankles and good top speed, making his athletic profile enticing. But Hill’s acceleration wind up is more average than plus.

Run Fitting

Hill should profile as a downhill thumper who can stack and shed and fill gaps with authority. But his take-on skills worries me. Hill struggles to disconnect even from tight ends unless he can get his elbows locked out and use his long arms to keep them off his frame. Despite his ideal size he can get bullied by pullers when he doesn’t get low throwing his shoulder – which is more often than one would like.

Hill’s long arms ensure he rarely misses a tackle, but he is often too high and lacks pop/punch, dragging down ball carriers most often. It’s almost as if he “catches” tackles rather than forces stops.

Anthony Hill Jr = #myguy pic.twitter.com/AsRp7NM5y5

— NY Giants BR 🇧🇷 (@NYGiantsports) February 8, 2026

His best reps happen when Hill is run blitzing. Getting a head of steam helps him play with more physicality and win at the point of attack. But he is too often out of his gap and away from the play, which explains his below average tackle rate. But Hill can sift to provide help with assisted tackles. He consistently tries to duck to the backside of the flow of plays to get uncovered. This contributes to him being out of position on some plays but also helps him get in the backfield to make plays. It’s a high-risk, high-reward playing style.

Coverage

Hill’s long arms allow him to disrupt passing windows. While his movements on a micro-scale look fluid, he doesn’t cover much ground within the time to throw, limiting the area he can cover. But he does transition from backpedal to click-and-close rather well. Yet Hill can get caught flat-footed and late to move post-snap leaving him vulnerable to give up seams. He has solid hands to take full advantage of balls he gets to, and Hill’s hip fluidity helps him mirror short stems from tight ends. This helps him create turnovers which can shift the flow of games.

Okay Anthony Hill Jr.! pic.twitter.com/Gu7CvO5MT4

— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) February 4, 2026

Hill’s speed is above average to get to the flats to contend with backs in coverage, and he can close quickly to contend with perimeter screens. When he transitions from moving forward to picking up backs releasing from the backfield, he gets his hands on them to get a feel for which way the route break is leaning and to maintain control on the rep.

Pass Rush

Hill can be a plus contributor to a pass rush plan. He is comfortable mugging up or playing on the edge to create a late five-man front. He works well as a pick and executes assignments well. This makes Hill perfect for a modern defensive scheme. He also adds an extra element as a picker because he naturally bends to the quarterback after executing the screen. Coming from the second level, Hill can bring speed and plus timing to create chaos and his smooth joints help him change direction in the pocket.

His long arms amplify all of these talents to help Hill finish, evidenced by his 12 sacks in his final two years at Texas.

Texas ILB Anthony Hill Jr. – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Petre Thomas

Best Role and How He Would Fit In The Bucs System

At first glance, Anthony Hill Jr.’s traits would say he can play middle linebacker in most every scheme. But I think he needs an extremely specific role to be successful in the NFL. That role would be close to how the Commanders use Frankie Luvu, working constantly forward to create plays in the backfield.

His size and ability to help with the pass rush plan, plus his long arms make him perfect for a scheme that would use him as a hybrid Sam ‘backer morphing from a four-man front to a walked-up five-man front with him blitzing on 25-30% of passing plays.

Hill will get chances to start in the NFL, but I see a limited upside to his skillset where he will fall in long term as a quality backup.

Hear Anthony Hill Jr. Speak

Part of NFL Draft evaluations are about more than the tape. Teams want to understand the person as much as the player — how he thinks, how he processes the game, and how he integrates into a locker room. While we don’t have access to the full depth of team interviews, I found an SEC media availability Anthony Hill Jr. participated in prior to the 2025 season.

His confidence is undeniable, but I don’t get many strong takeaways (positive or negative) from this interaction. The best I’d get from this is that he should have no problems commanding a defensive huddle and lining everyone up. Strong eye contact and a confident demeanor go along way towards winning the respect of teammates.