Cat Scratch Reader
Even though the 2025 NFL season just started, it’s never too early to look ahead toward the 2026 NFL Draft. This weekly series will take a closer look at some of the prospects the Carolina Panthers could select in the 2026 iteration of the Draft. In this series, we’ll only be looking at prospects the Panthers could seriously consider. This week our profile will focus on Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.
Hill was a consensus five star prospect out of Texas, consistently ranked in the top 25 overall players in his class. While he had the bona fides on the football field in high school (State Championship in 2020), he also showed incredible overall athleticism as he was part of his high school’s 4x400m relay team that finished second in the state. Hill hit the ground running after committing to the University of Texas. He ended his freshman season with the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American honors. Last season, he continued to demolish opposing offenses despite Texas’ switch to the SEC, earning Second Team All-American honors.
As referenced above, Hill has insane athleticism. His speed and fluidity in coverage look like those of a safety despite him being listed at 6’3”, 235 lbs. He is able to use that speed and athleticism to create a ton of power in his hits. On top of all the athletic traits you could want, Hill is also insanely impressive under the helmet. He has advanced instincts and processes information at an elite level, allowing him to play even faster that his raw athleticism would suggest. Perhaps his biggest strength is his knack for showing up in big ways on big stages. He always seems to make a huge tackle, sack the opposing quarterback, or force a turnover when his team needs it most against top competition. That knack makes Hill’s transition to the NFL feel like it will be smoother than most.
The vast majority of Hill’s areas to improve in are technique based. Whenever he gets hemmed up by opposing linemen, especially those with longer arms, he tends to get washed out of the play. Better hand placement could help him shed some of those blocks and allow him to really use his raw pass rushing ability to its fullest potential.
Hill should absolutely be a top 15 pick in April if he continues his dominance this season. With the Panthers desperately needing a star at linebacker, he should be at the top of their boards. Linebacker has been a bit of a weakness so far this season, and Hill could jump in and start right away. Hill’s versatility could be wasted a bit in the current Panthers defense as his blitzing ability is really an ace up his sleeve. The Panthers don’t normally send their inside linebackers on blitzes, but Evero could have him move to edge on passing downs since he loves to drop his edge rushers into...
