NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UCFKnights.com) – Another Knight is heading to the NFL. Trysten Hill became the 41st UCF football player to hear his named called in the draft when he was selected 58th overall in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys Friday evening in Nashville.
A dominating force on the defensive line since his arrival at UCF, Hill totaled 71 tackles, six sacks, and 19.5 tackles-for-loss in his three seasons with the Knights. As a senior, he finished with career-bests of 36 tackles and 10.5 tackles-for-loss.
In 2017 Hill was named Second Team All-Conference in The American after registering 20 tackles, 4.0 tackles-for-loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries at defensive tackle. Heading into his senior season he was named to national watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy, the Outland Trophy and the Bednarik Award.
Hill even occasionally excelled on offense for the Knights. The 6-foot-2, 315 pounder was brought in for the heavy package at fullback, scoring his first career points on a one-yard plunge against SMU. He also sprung free Taj McGowan for a 71-yard touchdown on 4th-and-1 from UCF territory with a massive lead block in the road win at Memphis.
A native of Lee, Fla., Hill was an integral member of UCF’s 2017 and 2018 teams that won 25 straight games, won back-to-back American Athletic Conference Championships, earned back-to-back New Year’s Six Bowl berths, and won the 2018 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and a 2017 National Championship.
Hill becomes the first UCF player drafted as a defensive lineman since Torell Troup in 2010, who went in the second round to the Buffalo Bills. He’s the first Knight taken by the Dallas Cowboys.
Draft Notes
- 41st UCF player selected in the NFL Draft
- The Knights have had a player drafted 13 of the last 14 years
- UCF has now had 17 players picked in the last 11 drafts
- The Knights have had five players in the last three years selected in the first 100 picks
- This marks the 19th UCF player drafted to play defense and the fourth defensive lineman
- Hill is the first UCF player drafted by the Cowboys
- He is the seventh Knight to be taken in the first two rounds
- Daunte Culpepper (1st; 11th overall)
- Travis Fisher (2nd, 64th overall)
- Torell Troup (2nd, 41st overall)
- Blake Bortles (1st, 3rd overall)
- Breshad Perriman (1st, 26th overall)
- Mike Hughes (1st, 30th overall)
- Trysten Hill (2nd, 58th overall)