Hill’s NFL decision due soon
PULLMAN – The biggest question of Washington State’s upcoming off-season will apparently have a speedy answer.
Junior wide receiver Jason Hill spoke at length Sunday about the possibility of turning pro, saying that he’ll make his decision shortly after Thanksgiving.
Hill also said that he’ll stay at WSU for his senior season if he’s anything less than a second-round pick.
“Definitely third round, stay,” Hill said. “Second round sounds good, but you always want to go into that first round. I think going somewhere working out, I definitely can put myself in better position.”
The San Francisco native is heading home for Thanksgiving break next week, and after that he said he’ll consult with head coach Bill Doba and offensive coordinator Mike Levenseller.
Most juniors thinking of going pro, Hill included, send tapes to the NFL’s central scouting service to get an evaluation and expected draft status. But Hill suggested that information might be less of a factor than what he hears from his current coaches.
“I’m going to look at that, but I’m going to get my point of view from what Coach Doba hears from teams and people have told me and hear from teams,” Hill said. “And, just what I feel in my heart. I think that’s No. 1.”
With 57 catches for 1,048 yards and 13 touchdowns this season in nine games, Hill has met his goals of passing last year’s gaudy totals in all three of those categories. He’s also on pace to graduate in December 2006, despite having skipped a redshirt year.
The wideout said he has already talked to Doba for 15 minutes about the possibilities, and he also sought advice from former Cougars receiver Devard Darling, who left with a year of eligibility left following the 2003 Holiday Bowl.
Darling went in the third round but has caught just two passes in his NFL career, none this season, for the Baltimore Ravens.
“It’s been tough for him,” Hill said. “It’s definitely been tough. And I’m going to take that into consideration. What he thinks matters to me.
“He gave me some pointers on what he thought and what he went through. I’m going to call him next week after the Apple Cup and talk to him a little more.”
Losing Hill would be an immeasurable blow to the Cougars, already thin at wide receiver going into next season. He would be an obvious candidate for co-captain, and with Jerome Harrison’s graduation would be the clear-cut top threat for WSU offensively.
Never was that more evident than at Oregon State, when a third-quarter quadriceps bruise ended his day and brought the previously dominant Cougars offense to a screeching halt. The Cougars lost that game and the next as well against Stanford with Hill still sidelined.
“I feel like I kind of let my team down by getting hurt, not that I had any control over it,” he said. “I definitely think it was a turning point, but that’s part of the game.”
On Saturday against Oregon, Hill dislocated his left index finger early – he said he knew something was wrong when he clapped and felt just nine fingers – but returned to catch a Hail Mary for a score at the end of the first half.
The junior has been getting double-covered on nearly every down in recent weeks, a credit to how much other teams are concerned because of Hill’s deep-threat abilities.
“I think I’m kind of in the middle now. A couple weeks ago, I was definitely sound on coming back,” Hill said of leaving early. “I’m going to take it as it comes. I’ve still got some more time to think about it.”