Cowboys coach dines with linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., sparking trade-down speculation for a potential "Agent Zero" reunion on defense.
FRISCO - Texas hosted its Pro Day last Tuesday, with pretty much every NFL team being represented in Austin to get the latest on all the prospects the Longhorns have to offer.
And the Dallas Cowboys seemed to be front and center in Texas' state capital.
While there were plenty of opportunities to meet with NFL representatives during the event, former Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. had the chance to get more time to talk in depth with at least one professional head coach.
On the eve of Pro Day, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was in Austin early for a dinner with Hill.
We'd heard that Schottenheimer was particularly interested in making it to Austin in order to meet with Hill and others. ... and the coach did get his extra time with the linebacker while he was in town.
"It was good, it was a good convo," Hill said of his dinner with Schottenheimer and coordinator Christian Parker, the prospect noting that he ordered "smothered chicken and a Caesar salad.''
"We had some laughs, talked some football, it went pretty good."
One aspect of this connection, which would logically mean a possible Cowboys trade-down from No. 20 to land Hill?
The Cowboys have fellow former Longhorns product DeMarvion Overshown at one linebacker spot, and he proudly wears jersey No. 0 ... and the nickname "Agent Zero.''
Well, Hill inherited that same jersey number in Austin.
"It can't be two Agent Zero's, so I know I would have to get a new number," Hill said. "But man, it would be a blessing to play with him. I've been watching him my whole life. It'd be really cool playing with him, learning from him and kind of modeling my game after him while I've been at Texas, so it'd be pretty cool."
Like Overshown (who is from Arp), Hill is a Texas guy, as he was a five-star recruit out of Denton Ryan.
"I'm a Dallas kid, so it'd be nice to play for the Cowboys," Hill said.
Dallas currently holds the No. 12 and 20 overall picks in the upcoming draft. Despite the double-dip in the opening round, Dallas has no selection in the second round.
No. 20 might be too rich for Hill, thus the concept of the trade-down.
While he's already proven himself on the field, these more personal meetings with NFL staff could make the difference in one of the 32 teams turning in Hill's draft card earlier than some think.
Hill's path - and the Dallas plan at linebacker, where they admit they have a roster hole - will start to narrow soon, as the NFL Draft is slated for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.