Even in a world where we’ve become desensitized to professional athletes getting arrested, the sight of the grinning mug shot for former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill — in relation to what he’s accused of — is shocking.
Hill was pictured grinning ear-to-ear in his mug shot after his arrest for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman in Ellis County, Texas, on March 26.
From Fox 4 News in Dallas: “Jail records show Hill has been charged with assault of a pregnant person and interfering with an emergency request for assistance. The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office said Hill was arrested for two bond forfeiture warrants stemming from a 2025 criminal investigation. Hill was booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie and is being held on a $3,500 total bond.”
Hill, 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, was a 2nd round pick by the Cowboys in 2019 out of UCF and played 4 seasons in Dallas. He hasn’t played in the NFL since 2024, when he split time between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
Cowboys Spent Early-Round Pick on Trysten Hill
The Cowboys used the No. 58 overall pick on Hill in the 2019 NFL draft after he was an All-AAC pick on UCF’s undefeated 2017 team, but fell out of favor with the coaching staff as a junior.
Hill left school with 1 year of eligibility remaining to enter the draft and finished his career with just 70 tackles in 3 seasons to go with 6.0 sacks.
“Hill did not end his career at UCF on a positive note,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “He barely played in the team’s Fiesta Bowl loss to LSU, made it clear he was unhappy about his playing time after the game, and did not thank the team’s current coaching staff in the note in which he made his declaration for early entry in the NFL draft. Hill had been a major factor in the Knights’ win in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, making six tackles, three for loss, and two sacks. But he had been in the doghouse throughout the 2018 season, only starting once in 11 contests in spite of having his most productive season (36 tackles, 10.5 for loss, three sacks). Under former coach Scott Frost, Hill started all 13 games as a true freshman (15 tackles, five for loss, one sack) and as a sophomore, when he earned second-team All-AAC honors (20 tackles, four for loss, two sacks).”
Bad Penalties, Even Worse Injuries in NFL
With the Cowboys, Hill spent his rookie season as a backup before being forced into a starting role in 2020. He’s best known for a game against the Seattle Seahawks that year in which he sprained running back Chris Carson’s knee by twisting it after a play was over and delivered a dirty, helmet-to-helmet hit on quarterback Russell Wilson.
Somewhat ironically, Hill tore his ACL later in the year while trying to avoid another fine — like the 2 he got against the Seahawks — as he tried to make sure he didn’t take New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to the ground and get flagged for a roughing the passer penalty.
In 2021, Hill lost his spot in the lineup to rookie defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. In 2022, the Cowboys waived Hill after 7 games, and he was quickly picked up by the Arizona Cardinals, where he played 6 more games that season.
Hill signed with the Cleveland Browns before the 2023 season but only played 1 regular-season game over his final 2 seasons.
Shocking Arrest for Cowboys’ Former 2nd Round Pick