Peyton Hillis

At 38 years old, Peyton Hillis has this physical status:

Peyton Tyrone Hillis (born January 21, 1986) is a retired American football running back who competed in the National Football League (NFL).

Hillis attended Conway High School in Conway, Arkansas, and was a highly sought-after recruit.

Hillis was primarily used as a fullback at the University of Arkansas.

Hillis soared to the top of the depth chart as the Denver Broncos' starting fullback after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

He was the starting running back after suffering from injuries to the running back corps.

Hillis was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2010 after two years in Denver.

Hillis was voted nationally in 2011 and was positioned on the front page of EA Sports' Madden NFL 12 video game.

Personal life

Hillis made his acting debut in the horror film The Hunting, directed by Mark Andrew Hamer in 2021. Hillis was praised in the film for his role. According to set photos, he posed a werewolf.

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College career

Peyton, who was ranked as the nation's top recruiter for the 2004 recruiting class, attended the University of Arkansas from 2004 to 2007, majoring in Sociology. He preferred Arkansas over a number of other college options, including Oklahoma, Nebraska, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, and LSU.

Hillis, a true freshman, passed for 240 yards, 97 yards receiving, and eight touchdowns, ranked fourth in the SEC in total touchdowns and tying Georgia's Thomas Brown for the most touchdowns scored by a SEC freshman this year.

Hillis recorded 947 all-purpose yards (including more than 200 in kick-off and punt returns) and seven touchdowns during his sophomore season, as well as being a blocker for up-and-coming running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

Hillis played in ten games due to a nagging injury, but he did return late in the season to help Arkansas win the 2006 SEC Western Division Championship. After losing to Wisconsin in the 2007 Capital One Bowl, the team went 10-4. Arkansas defeated #13 Tennessee in Fayetteville, 31-14, the biggest victory of the season so far, with ESPN College GameDay in attendance.

Hillis finished with over 800 yards of total offense and seven touchdowns in his senior season in 2007. Despite the fact that this squad did not meet pre-season goals, ending 8-5 after losing to Missouri in the 2008 Cotton Bowl, Hillis helped Arkansas beat #2 LSU in Baton Rouge, 50-48. Hillis had 11 rushers for 89 yards and two TDs, as well as 5 receptions for 62 receiving yards and two more TDs. It was Arkansas' first victory over a No. 1 team since losing to Texas in 1981.

Hillis, who played with the Arkansas fullback for four seasons, helped Darren McFadden become the Razorbacks all-time rushing leader with three straight 1,000 yards from 2005 to 2007, as well as two consecutive for fellow running back Felix Jones in 2006. Arkansas was one of the country's most prolific running teams during those three seasons, and has no blame for Hillis' demise and success.

Professional career

Hillis was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 20th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft's seventh round (227th overall) draft. His college number, 22, was also assigned to him.

Hillis was listed as the Broncos' starting fullback at the start of the 2008 season. He appeared in his first NFL regular season game on September 8, 2008, gaining 14 yards on three rushing attempts and four yards on one pass. In a 26–17 Broncos home loss to the Miami Dolphins on November 2, 2008, he played in his first 100-yard receiving game with seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Hillis was named Denver's starting running back after Ryan Torain's injury in the Broncos 34-30 road victory over the Cleveland Browns. As part of a 24-20 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons, he got 44 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 attempts. In a 34-17 road victory over the New York Jets, he had his first 100-yard rush game with 129 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts. Hillis was named Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week, as well as FedEx Ground Player of the Week, as well as Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, who was named NFL Air Player of the Week this week. The series of victories and awards fueled a lot of anticipation among Broncos faithful for Hillis that the team will continue to compete for the remainder of the season. However, Hillis sustained a season-long injury in a 24-17 home victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, but the season was already plagued with running back injuries. Hillis was struck by both directions by Chiefs' free safety Jarrad Page and cornerback Brandon Carr after he came down from an acrobatic catch of a Cutler pass with his right foot planted. Hillis was hit twice, resulting in a 2–3 inch tear in his right hamstring behind the knee, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Hillis finished the 2008 season as the Broncos' top rusher with 343 yards and 5 touchdowns, and was expected to return as a key offensive presence for the 2009 season despite his limited playing time.

The Broncos dropped to 8-8 on the season after losing Hillis, depth at the running back position was almost null, and the Broncos were unable to make the playoffs. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was suspended during the offseason and replaced with Josh McDaniels due to a lack of post-season berths in recent years. McDaniels' first order of business was to recruit new talent to complement his playing style, which required adding depth to the running back position with first round draft pick Knowshon Moreno and free agent Correll Buckhalter.

Hillis had just 54 yards on 13 attempts in 2009, despite being the leading rusher and going back to the start of the season. Fans began speculating about a rift between Hillis and McDaniels as the Broncos offense sank late in the season and Hillis still had no significant play time as a result of other Shanahan carry-overs. Hillis expressed disappointment over his playing time on the season, but remained tight on the situation, claiming that communications between him and McDaniels were "friendly." Hillis was quoted in the same interview as saying that his future in Denver was "up in the air." The Broncos traded Hillis to the Cleveland Browns in the 2011 Draft along with a sixth-round pick and a conditional pick in the 2012 Draft in exchange for quarterback Brady Quinn on March 14, 2010.

Hillis' arrival in Cleveland was met with awe after the success of his active stint in Denver during the 2008 season. The Browns split snaps evenly across Hillis, Jerome Harrison, James Davis, Chris Jennings, and Montario Hardesty (upon returning from injury). Hillis' best pre-season running game came against the St. Louis Rams on Week 2, when the majority of the snaps were thrown, he ran for 51 yards on 12 carries (4.3 ypc).

Hillis' debut in Cleveland was much the same as in Denver, and the depth chart at both tight end and fullback was broken down. Hillis was pushed into the starting position against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, similar to his rookie appearance in Denver. The result was a 144-yard (6.5 ypc) victory over the Ravens' tough rushing defense, which allowed only 3.4 yards per carry in the 2009 season. For a total of 180 all-purpose yards, Hillis also added 36 yards on 7 receptions. Hillis returned over 100 yards at home against the Cincinnati Bengals next week, giving the Browns their first victory in the 2010 regular season. Hillis was limited by a thigh injury in practice against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, but Hillis did post a 19-yard touchdown for his first Browns player since Greg Pruitt, making him the first Browns player to score touchdown in five straight games since Greg Pruitt, but Pruitt's came all through rushing. Hillis made his career debut against the New England Patriots in Week 9, totaling 184 yards (6.5 ypc) and 220 yards. Hillis was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 9, the first Cleveland Browns to win the award since Eric Metcalf in 1992. Hillis was the only players to have more than 130 yards passing, 3 rushing touchdowns, and 60 yards receiving in a single game in week 12. Hillis eclipsed 1,000 yards on an 8-yard rush, preceded by a 25-yard rush on December 12, 2010.

Hillis was the Browns finalist in the Madden NFL 12 cover poll, owing to his breakout season. Aaron Rodgers, the son of upsetting Ray Rice, Matt Ryan, and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, he advanced to the finals, where he met Michael Vick. Hillis was selected as the game's cover star on April 27, 2011, defeating Vick with 66% of the vote.

Hillis had a difficult 2011–12 season that culminated in his affiliation with the Madden Curse, a pattern of poor results by athletes after appearing on the Madden front. He began the season with failed attempts to extend his deal. He had a good game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, running for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns, but then he sat out a game against the Miami Dolphins with strep throat on the advice of his handler. Hillis strained his hamstring twice in a game and once in practice, limiting his results and frustrating teammates. He recovered from the offseason by going for 99 yards in Arizona and 112 in Baltimore, finishing with 587 and 3 touchdowns. Hillis wanted to re-sign with the Browns, even willing to give a hometown discount, but the Browns refused to give him a contract and allowed him to leave as a free agent to Kansas City at the end of the year.

Hillis was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs on March 14, 2012. As a back-up to Jamaal Charles, he finished the 2012 season with 309 yards on 85 attempts.

Hillis joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on July 23, 2013. Hillis was released by the Buccaneers without playing in a game on September 21, 2013.

The New York Giants reported on October 16, 2013 that they had signed Hillis for the 2013-2014 season. Hillis was given a $1.8 million contract extension for two years by the Giants on March 11, 2014. Hillis decided to change his number from #44 to #33, meaning rookie Andre Williams could wear the number he wore in college until the 2014 season. While in training camp with the Buccaneers, Hillis had also worn number 33.

The Giants revealed Hillis' release on February 25, 2015.

Hillis retired in 2015 at his doctor's behest due to his concussion history and the possibility of future injury. "As far as NFL football goes, my heart is just not in it anymore," Hillis said in an interview.

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