Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Weekly 7-round mock draft featuring a trade!
By Cory Kinnan
Round 5, Pick 145: Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State
Although the Buccaneers re-signed leading rusher from a year ago in Peyton Barber and selected Ronald Jones in the second round in 2018, that should not stop Tampa Bay from adding another talented back in the draft. Barber is at best an average back, with a career average of 3.7 yards per carry, and Jones still has a bit of a curve ahead of him.
Justice Hill out of Oklahoma State would be of great value to Arians, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, and the Bucs as he is an athletic, versatile back that can hurt opposing defenses in a variety of ways; he is much of what Tampa Bay still hopes that Jones can develop into.
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Throughout his collegiate career as a Cowboy, Hill averaged over 5.5 yards per carry and over 3,500 yards in three seasons; he scored a total of 30 touchdowns on the ground, adding an additional score through the air. He added athleticism to his resume on top of his production at the combine, where he ran a 4.4 flat 40 yard dash and hit 40 inches on his vertical jump.
Depth is never a bad thing in the NFL, especially at the position that is swapped out and battered most prevalently. Adding Hill to the running back room with Jones and Barber could give the Bucs a young three-headed attack, or give them a backup plan if they decide to move on from Barber and Jones does not pan out.