NFL Combine 2019: Houston Texans, Justice Hill could be great match

The Houston Texans can never have too many running backs, and if there is a team that can find an under-the-radar running back at the 2019 NFL Combine, it is the Texans.

If the Houston Texans want to make things interesting for their roster, but don’t want to break the bank along the way, running back Justice Hill from Oklahoma State could be the way to go, and his numbers at the 2019 NFL Combine were a good start to scouting the former Oklahoma State Cowboys running back.

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Hill ran a 4.4 40-yard dash as the combine, while other event totals included 21 bench press reps, a 40-inch vertical jump and a 130-inch broad jump. The 5-8 running back also had measurements of 9.5-inch hands, 31 5/8-inch arms and he weighed in at 198 pounds.

Even with those numbers and measurements, the speed of Hill jumps off of the page at you. If the Texans can fix their offensive line during the 2019 NFL Draft and through free agency, a player like Hill could really pop on the roster this upcoming season.

Remember the all-time leading rusher for the Texans is Arian Foster, who back in 2006 wasn’t even drafted by any of the 32 teams in the NFL, but the Texans found him, used him the right way and the rest is history.

That brings us to the current-day team, where the Texans will most likely have Lamar Miller listed as the starter at running back in a contract year and D’Onta Foreman in a reserve role to start the season. With Alfred Blue listed as a free agent, maybe the Texans need to look to the NFL Combine to prepare themselves for the NFL Draft. They need to find a player who can play a role within the running back depth chart and who can contribute to special teams in some way too, and that player just might be Justice.

Granted, on the stat sheet the Texans might be listed as the eighth-best rushing team in all of the NFL last season, but also realize quarterback Deshaun Watson was the third-leading rusher on the roster with 99 carries for 551 yards and five touchdowns, with the TD numbers tying him for the team-lead in rushing scores.

Miller is coming off a season where he had 210 carries for 973 yards total with five touchdowns, and Blue totaled 150 carries for 499 yards and two touchdowns, with a best rush of 17 yards in 2018. Miller averaged 4.6 yards per carry in ’18, and Watson led the Texans in that category too with a 5.6 yards per carry average this past season.

At Oklahoma State in 2018, Hill had 158 carries in 10 games for 930 yards, nine touchdowns and rushed for 5.6 yards per carry. He also caught 13 passes for 68 yards for a 5.2 yards per catch average.

There is some quality talent at running back each season at the NFL Combine, some of which is easy to spot and at other times some players are tough to find too. Hill could not only be quality talent, but the Texans could draft him in mid-rounds as the franchise does have a pick in the third round if Hill’s stock jumps that high, even after having a hamstring issue at the combine.

Darryl Slater of NJ.com listed Hill as “a winner” after his combine performance:

"“Hill probably isn’t a first-round prospect. But he certainly helped his draft stock Friday, when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. It was the fastest time among running backs, ahead of Temple’s Ryquell Armstead, who ran 4.45.”"

It would be nice for the Texans to add more speed to their roster, and having a 4.4 40-yard dash, that could be helpful with the passing game out of the backfield for the Texans, or even more so, it could help with the play of the special teams return game.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote this of Hill in his draft profile of the running back:

"“Hill might not have the skills needed to handle third-down duties, so he could be pigeon-holed as a try-hard backup with average upside.”"

Honestly, I don’t have a problem if this is who Hill could become in the NFL, as the Texans just need some solid depth at the position. Miller is likely playing his last season with the franchise, and Foreman is still working his way up to an as-yet-undetermined role at running back.

Again, the draft process isn’t a complete science, and the combine isn’t the final say as to how good a player is going to become, but keep an eye on Hill this offseason draft process, as he just might become a Texans player once the draft is complete.