Clemson football great Tye Hill talks about the NFL Combine

The NFL Combine wraps up today and the nine Clemson football players that competed will probably be relieved to have it finally behind them. Regardless of how they performed, the players will be happy to move on to the next step in securing their position in the draft. 

Of course, anyone who performed well is resting easier than someone who is disappointed in their results, but the March 16 Clemson Pro Day gives everyone one last chance to leave a favorable impression upon scouts before April’s draft.

Former Clemson cornerback Tye Hill, who was a St. Louis Rams 2006 draft pick, knows how each one of the combine participants felt before this past weekend, and how they will feel leading up to the NFL Draft. Hill was the 15th overall pick in 2006.

Last night, I was able to ask him a few questions about the NFL Combine and about the two Clemson defensive backs competing on this final day.

First of all, what was it like being a part of the NFL Combine, which is jokingly called a “Meat Market” by some people.

Tye Hill: It was definitely unique and it was definitely like you said a “Meat Market.” It felt like you had people pulling and tugging at every part of your body. It’s stressful because it’s long, and if you have MRIs it is even longer. You have to go to another place for hours for those. I heard that for some people it took all night to get back to the hotel which means they couldn’t rest up for the next day. It is really like a continuous process with something always going on. You have the medical side of it and interviews from certain teams. Some people get 10 interviews or 20 interviews a night and then some people only got one interview. I know others who didn’t get any interviews.

How many interviews did you have?

Tye Hill: Oh, I got a lot. I was probably averaging 7 to 8 interviews a night and it was the same at the Senior Bowl. It starts at the Senior Bowl. They start pulling you over and interviewing you. I’m telling you-it’s a long process.

Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster had a medical situation and wanted to be moved in front of a waiting line. Did you hear about his dismissal? 

Tye Hill: Yeah. You actually have to leave the site and go to another site. It takes time and then if you’re in there with other people, you have to wait until they go. But you do have to wait your turn. I wish it was that easy.

Most guys these days go off to train away from school or home. What did you do for the Combine? 

Tye Hill: I went out to API in Arizona. I was out there for two months before the Combine, so I did the same thing.

The Combine consist of the interviews, medical screening, physical tests, etc. What was the best part of it? And what was the worst? 

Tye Hill: Well, of course, I killed all the field drills at the combine. I had a ball. I met a lot of people from the Senior Bowl and it continued at the combine. I had the fastest 40, the fastest three cone, and the second highest vertical at 41.5. I have some highlights that I liked.

The only part of the combine that I didn’t like was doing all of the medical stuff. I was one of the guys who had to go. I got flagged for something that I never knew that I had. I had to get an MRI for that. So I will say that because it’s a hard process. You just want to rest, perform, and prep and not leave any doubt in the scouts’ or owners’ minds. You just want to impress them.

There is a lot of time between the end of a final season and the NFL Draft. That time has been good for some players and bad for others. What did you do to keep yourself focused and out of trouble?

Tye Hill: I just continued to be me and not do anything other than that-not anything extra. Because any small thing could have happened that could have put me in a bad light and it probably necessarily would not have been me. It could’ve been somebody else around me. Those things happen and you hear about them all the time. I’m sure, unfortunately, some kid will get locked up and something will happen between now and the draft. It happens every year. My advice to prospects would be, to be safe and think about the bigger picture.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson has heard so much about his play from scouts, social media, and media outlets. You were a high profile, probable high pick heading into the Combine and draft also. If you were an advisor to Watson, what advice would you give him about the whole process? 

Tye Hill: Pay no attention. Listen to the ones that matter. It only takes one team to fall in love with you and draft you. Realistically, you are only playing for one of them anyway. I wouldn’t necessarily care what everyone else is saying. I would just concentrate on whatever I needed to get done. I think that’s what he’s doing. He had a great NFL Combine, and I think he left no doubt in any scouts mind that he’s a great quarterback. His body of work speaks for itself. But at this time of the year, there is no need to listen to or look at it, because when you have so much good about you. They got to find something. Keywords “they got to find.” I wouldn’t pay any of that no mind, because he knows who he is and that stuff is just for us to read and talk about. Though it is easier said than done. Because you will hear things, and they are going to make you mad. But you just have to be confident in who you are, and what you can do.

John Ross 4.22. Any words? 

Tye Hill: I was stunned. Even if I was him, I would’ve been stunned. He looked like he was stunned, when they told him that he had the record. It can be overwhelming but at the same time, a blessing. Just Thank God.

When I went to the combine, if I hadn’t come out with a fast time, I would have been disappointed. I had put that on me, because I was a track star and a sprinter, so I better be the fastest one here. During the meetings and interviews, I knew that there was an anticipation for the 40. Some coaches put wagers on who they thought was going to run the fastest 40. I’m sure that I made Jim Haslett some money.

The defensive backs are up next. Clemson has Cordrea Tankersley and Jadar Johnson left to compete. What do you think about each of them? 

Tye Hill: I kinda been watching Tankersley because he’s a corner, so I watch him. I’m interested to see how fast he runs the 40. I know he has great size, great ball skills. He seems to be the total package to me. I’m anxious to see how he performs.
Jadar. I’m interested to see how fast he runs too. He had a really good year on the football field. And it was, his first year as a starter. He was that leader and played with a lot of confidence. I felt like he was the emotional leader on the back end and that’s what you expect from your safety. I was impressed with him throughout the year and I’m ready to watch him too.

Cordrea Tankersley and Jadar Johnson finished with 40 times of 4.47 and 4.6 respectively.