John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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By Matt Lombardo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Defensive lineman B.J. Hill doesn't arrive with the notoriety of No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley at running back, road grading offensive guard and second-round pick Will Hernandez, but the Giants' third-round pick has a chance to make a significant of an impact as the heralded rookies chosen before him in April's NFL Draft.

By the end of spring’s minicamp practices, Hill was running exclusively with the first-team defense alongside nose tackle Damon Harrison and defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson in place of Josh Mauro, who will open the regular season suspended for four games after violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy.

“It’s been going pretty good, I love competing against the ones,” Hill said, following the final minicamp practice last month. “The spring went well. I still have a long way to go. I’m excited for the break, and to get back to it.”

It remains to be seen when the Giants reconvene for the first practice of training camp on July 25 if Mauro will return to the practice field after being sidelined this spring, but the added reps with the first-team have given Hill a boost, particularly when it comes to making a strong impression on new defensive coordinator James Bettcher.

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"From a young guys’ standpoint, I think B.J.’s (Hill) really coming along," Bettcher said last month, unsolicited, when asked if he's confident in defensive his defensive tackles. "I’m really excited with where he’s at right now. Again, another guy excited to get his pads on, excited to see how we play in the run game when we get to training camp and have some padded practices. We know it’s going to start with the run game and if we’re going to be good in the run game, it’s going to start with those interior guys up front."

Hill stands 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds with the versatility to stop the run and get after the passer, as illustrated by his 23.5 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks in four seasons as a starter at N.C. State.

"Stopping the run, getting to the quarterback, I feel like I can do it all," Hill said. "You can see at practice, I can move around a lot. They have me playing defensive end for a reason, because I can move around and take on double-teams. It doesn’t matter.”

The versatility to play at either tackle or end will serve Hill well in terms of garnering significant playing time as a rookie.

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"One of the things when we drafted B.J.," Bettcher said. "What was part of us selecting him was because we thought he has a potential to be a three-down player. Whether that’s a middle push guy, whether that’s a guy that can beat some guards and create some disruption for either edge players, or edge pressure guys.

"Dalvin [Tomlinson] is the same kind of player. Has some slipperiness to him, has the ability to get on edges. Excited to get to – again, I keep saying that, but I’m anxious to get to training camp to really see where some of that’s at. But I do expect those guys to be able to help us."

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Learning from the veterans

One of the first things that Hill says he did after checking into Quest Diagnostics Training Center for the first time, was find and follow veterans Olivier Vernon, Harrison, Tomlinson, and others around the team's facility.

“All the vets have taken me in," Hill said. "OV, Harrison, all of them. I always ask them questions and they give me tips to help me out.”

As for how Hill plans on repaying them for their advice and help, he says the aim is to show them and the coaching staff that he belongs.

“I’m just trying to prove myself to the vets and the coaches," Hill said. "That, if I’m starting or not, that I can play in this league, and get quality minutes."

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Beyond building a case for a starting job along the defensive line, or proving to his teammates and coaches that he's willing to put in the work to improve, Hill hopes to bring a fierce competitiveness from the film room, to practice fields, to Sundays.

A brand of competitive football that at N.C. State alongside No. 5 overall pick Bradley Chubb, fellow third-round pick Justin Jones, who was chosen by the Los Angeles Chargers, and San Francisco's fourth-round pick Kentavius Street ...

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Darron Cummings

Bringing the Wolfpack's fire to the Giants' line

“We’re like brothers," Hill said of his teammates along that dynamic N.C. State defensive line that produced four NFL Draft picks. "We always talk every single day, and are always talking ball.”

Despite his solid production at the college level, Hill says he doesn't believe that scouts and NFL evaluators "lost" him in the shuffle, while many drooled over Chubb's potential at the next level.

“I did my job," Hill said. "I’m a team player. Chubb … We had two great defensive ends, him and Street. They did their thing on the outside. I’m not going to take credit away from them. I do whatever I need to do for us to win.”

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In addition to keeping in touch with his former teammates, Hill plans on bringing the mentality of the Wolfpack's defensive line to the Giants.

“It was so competitive," Hill said. "We always went after it in practice and in games. The weight room. Everything we did was competitive. Oh yeah, I definitely Brough that here. You have to. That’s just me. That’s what I’ve been taught and what I learned at North Carolina State.”

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NJ Advance Media

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media f

High expectations for Hill ... And how he plans to meet them

It wasn't a novel football concept by any stretch of the imagination, but the Eagles won a Super Bowl by doubling down the resources invested in the defensive line last offseason including a first-round pick in defensive end Derek Barnett, a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for defensive tackle Tim Jernigan, and free agent acquisition Chris Long, and it is a strategy that Giants general manager Dave Gettleman picked up the baton and ran with this offseason.

In addition to choosing Hill with the No. 69 overall pick in the fourth round of April's NFL Draft, the Giants rounded back to pick up R.J. Mcintosh in the fifth-round after already adding Mauro in free agency to pair with Harrison, Tomlinson, and Kerry Wynn along the defensive line.

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The night Hill was drafted, Gettleman struggled to contain his excitement over the fact that his newest lineman was still on the board in Round 3.

"He's an inside power-broker defensive tackle," Gettleman said. "He's instinctive. He's smart. B.J. is a powerful and tough son of a gun. When you see Hill put his hand in the dirt, in a three-point stance, he's shown the ability to get upfield, swing his hips, and track a guy down."

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Given the Giants' lack of depth along the defensive line and Hill's dominant showing this spring, Hill has a chance to walk in and contribute quality snaps immediately as a rookie and help boost a pass rush that managed only 34 sacks last season.

“First," Hill said. "You have to stop the run, and then have fun on third down, and just get to the quarterback. I feel like we have the guys to do it.”

Don't be surprised if Hill is one of the guys that plays a key role in the Giants' turnaround on defense.

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Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoNFL

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