How Atlanta Falcons Rookie WR Turned One College Offer into NFL Tryout & Stout Summer

From underrecruited and undrafted to the NFL, an inside look at Atlanta Falcons rookie receiver OJ Hiliare's path to the opportunity of a lifetime.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver OJ Hiliare's journey from Alabama A&M to Bowling Green State prepared him for the next level. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

To know Atlanta Falcons undrafted rookie receiver OJ Hiliare is to understand where he comes from.

Belle Glade, Fla., is a small, sleepy farming town 40 minutes west of West Palm Beach. There's a shopping center but no traditional malls. Trouble and crime is common. Its population was below 17,000 in the last census.

Yet Belle Glade, at least within the football community, is uniquely valued. It was once a hotbed of talent, and Hiliare's high school -- Glades Central -- had more players on NFL rosters than any other school in the country.

Pro Bowl running back Fred Taylor, Super Bowl MVP receiver Santonio Holmes and eight-year NFL veteran defensive end Ray McDonald are among Glades Central's top alums.

Football is the way out. It requires a different approach and mentality. Hiliare has both -- he just didn't always have the stage to show it.

As a high school junior in 2017, Hiliare tore up his knee. He returned for the spring track and field season, where he ran the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and triple jump. He finished third across all of Florida in the triple jump. The year after, he joined the basketball team, largely serving as a hustle player and defensive stalwart.

But on the football field, Hiliare wasn't much of a standout until his senior season. Glades Central had significant talent, and Hiliare wasn't the biggest or strongest player.

"You wouldn't walk in and say, 'I'm here to watch OJ,'" said Hygens Succes, Hiliare's older brother and co-representative at Muck Sports Representation. "He continued to grind each and every day."

What Hiliare lacked in physical tools, he made up for with consistency. Each time Alabama A&M offensive coordinator and receivers coach Duane Taylor watched Hiliare's film, he saw a reliable target, one who didn't have breakaway speed but was rarely caught from behind -- and even more rarely dropped passes.

Former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Terance Mathis played 13 years in the NFL with a similar profile.

As a senior, Hiliare logged 750 receiving yards and six touchdowns while Glades Central went 8-4 in Florida's 4A Region 4. But stats and tape alone didn't sell Taylor on Hiliare. After the two met, Taylor quickly identified Hiliare's love for the game. He ultimately needed every bit of it.

Alabama A&M, an HBCU program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, extended an offer to Hiliare. The Bulldogs were the only program, regardless of level, to give Hiliare an opportunity.

The 6-foot, now-185-pound Hiliare arrived in Huntsville, Ala., a miniscule 150 pounds. Taylor and the rest of his coaches told him to gain 20 pounds. So, he did -- through pushups and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Whatever sacrifices he's needed to make in his young career, he's been willing to make," Taylor said.

***

One year before Hiliare joined Alabama A&M, Taylor coached another young receiver from Florida: Nathaniel "Tank" Dell, who ultimately became a third-round draft pick of the Houston Texans in 2023 and enjoyed a productive rookie season.

Taylor knew from practice No. 1 that Dell was a pro. He knew the same with Hiliare -- but also knew Hiliare needed confidence.

In the fall of 2019, Alabama A&M had a challenging camp. Taylor was hard on Hiliare, but in a tough-love way.

During one practice, Hiliare ran six consecutive deep post routes. Taylor told him to run another -- and also told the quarterback to throw him the ball.

"Coach, I'm tired," Hiliare told Taylor.

"Don't matter, go make the play," Taylor responded. "And he made the play."

Taylor knew NFL receivers sometimes have to run posts, then comebacks, then curls and are in constant motion. He wanted to put Hiliare through the fire to see how he'd react. Hiliare passed the test.

"From that day on, I knew he was dependable," Taylor said. "I knew he would be able to make the play."

But success didn't immediately follow Hiliare to the college level. He had several receivers ahead of him in the pecking order, including his best friend and fellow freshman, Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, who was the SWAC Freshman of the Year and an FCS Freshman All-American.

Hiliare, meanwhile, caught 14 passes for 214 yards across eight games. He also handled return duties on both kicks and punts. It was a self-described solid season, but one that did little to aid his long-term future.

Then came perhaps the most developmentally important summer of Hiliare's life.

With the world shut down due to COVID-19, traditional training methods were difficult for some to find during summer 2020. Hiliare not only found conventional ways but did so alongside distinguished company.

Succes introduced Hiliare to now-Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam, who, in 2020, was fresh off making the SEC All-Freshman team as a starter at the University of Florida. Succes, who was a walk-on linebacker at Florida in the early 2010s, played with Elam's uncle, Matt Elam.

Kaiir Elam's father, Abe, played seven years as an NFL safety. Abe lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., which is where Hiliare and Kaiir Elam met two or three times a week at a local park. They'd workout for an hour and a half to two hours in the morning, each sharpening one another's game.

Several other players joined in, with the deep stock of Florida talent returning home amidst the pandemic. Some days, NFL quarterback Jacoby Brissett -- currently with the New England Patriots and also a former Florida teammate of Succes -- would throw passes.

In the afternoon, Hiliare further tapped into Succes's wealth of connections to aid his training efforts. Nine-year NFL linebacker Jon Bostic, who not only played with Succes in Gainesville but also became a close friend, allowed Hiliare to workout with him and his trainer.

Surrounded by both present and future NFL talent, Hiliare had no choice but to get better -- and he did, be it physically, mentally or athletically.

"That summer was really the height of it," Succes said of Hiliare's growth.

***

When Hiliare returned to Alabama A&M in the fall of 2020, he did so with a newfound sense of swagger after his busy offseason.

Jogging back to the practice huddle after making a play, Hiliare gave a shout to Alabama A&M offensive line coach Markus Lawrence that told Taylor as much as the play itself.

"Coach Lawrence, I'm really like that," Taylor recalls Hiliare saying. "When he told Coach Lawrence that, I knew he was ready."

The rest, Taylor said, is history.

In 2020, Hiliare eclipsed his numbers from the year before despite playing just four games -- half as many as 2019 -- in the COVID-shortened season. He caught 17 passes for 233 yards and four touchdowns.

The year after, Hiliare became, in Succes's words, the best receiver in the SWAC. Across 10 games, he made 71 receptions for 918 yards and nine touchdowns. He missed a majority of the season finale with an injury and otherwise may have broken 1,000 yards.

Even with his misfortune in the final game, Hiliare led the SWAC in receptions, finished third in receiving yards and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns.

Still, the things he did on the field mesmerized Taylor more than any numbers could have.

Trailing Grambling State 34-14 with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Hiliare caught a screen pass on the right side of the formation. One of Taylor's favorite messages to his players is the good players make one defender miss, and the great ones makes two miss.

After completing the catch, Hiliare hit a hesitation step, evading a would-be tackler after a missed block. That was one. He ran past a waiting defensive back and beat another in a foot race to the endzone.

By the time he was down in the endzone, Hiliare was 66 yards from where he started, celebrating with his teammates after finding paydirt. He directly beat three defenders on that one play. It surprised Taylor -- but not Hiliare.

"He's like, 'Alright coach, that's what I do, next play,'" Taylor said. "I'm like, 'Oh, okay.'"

This, in its truest sense, is a glimpse of Hiliare's confidence. It's what he had as a senior in high school but perhaps struggled finding early at Alabama A&M. Once he found it, Taylor said nobody could guard him.

All the while, Hiliare emerged as a leader in the Bulldogs' locker room. He set a strong, consistent standard, and was a frequent presence in Taylor's office. The two grew close.

"He's one of the kids you root for," Taylor said. "He was never late for anything -- meetings, lifts -- he was always doing the right thing. He was a leader as a freshman. Me and OJ, we've cried in my office. We've talked about family things. It was so much more than football. We became family."

But sometimes, loved ones have to split for the betterment of their own life.

***

In December 2021, Hiliare and Taylor met for a serious conversation about the former's long-term future. Fresh off an ultra-productive redshirt sophomore season, Hiliare's mind began wandering. Discussions with NFL scouts sent him on a path out of the SWAC.

"There were a couple scouts that had mentioned to OJ that playing HBCU ball, they don't really count the first two years of his career," Taylor said. "Who were you playing against?"

But Hiliare loved Alabama A&M -- the atmosphere, his teammates and his role in the offense -- and leaving wasn't an easy choice. Like he did with Taylor, Hiliare had a conversation with Succes.

At the time, Succes had already represented several players who eventually signed as undrafted free agents. He put on his agent hat for Hiliare during the process, though also kept a healthy, big brotherly distance.

"It was pretty much, 'Okay, what are your goals here? Now that you've accomplished what you have at the HBCU level, do you want to ride it out, or do you want to make it to the next level?'" Succes said.

Taylor and the rest of the Bulldogs' coaching staff were heavily involved in Hiliare's process, but they weren't trying to sell dreams they couldn't help live out. Instead, they wanted the best for Hiliare.

Such conversations weren't new to the coaches, as they held a similar one with Dell when he went the junior college route after the 2018 season.

There was also another factor in Hiliare's decision: Quarterback play. Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M's star signal caller, exhausted his eligibility and was not returning in 2022. There was no clear solution behind Glass.

So, Hiliare chose to transfer.

"I took it upon myself to make a business decision," Hiliare said. "And everything else is history. Now, we're here."

And while Taylor not only lost his close friend but also star receiver, he had no qualms with Hiliare's decision. After all, to answer the question posed by Succes, Hiliare felt he needed another destination to make a living playing football.

"His dreams exceeded his level of competition," Taylor said.

Once in the portal, Hiliare's first offer from a bigger-level program came from Bowling Green State University in the Mid-American Conference.

Much like with his training habits, Hiliare received significant help from the vast connections of Succes, who knew both Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler and running backs coach Brian White.

Loeffler and White were on staff at Florida when Succes played, and when Loeffler discovered he was recruiting Succes's little brother, he reached out.

"He was like 'Man, crazy how time brings us back together,'" Succes said about Loeffler. "Ten years apart, here we are again."

History between Succes, Loeffler and White not only aided in the relationship-building process, but also gave Hiliare an intricate understanding of the offense he'd be entering.

After spending three years at Alabama A&M, Hiliare knew he needed a change. He felt he was missing some things schematically, like the nuances of a pro-style offense versus the four-receiver, no-huddle, wide-spread system he played in with the Bulldogs.

To better prove himself as a legitimate professional prospect, Hiliare and his support system emphasized pro-style offenses -- the only way to get better within it is to be in it, Succes it.

And between knowledge of Loeffler's philosophies and the plan devised by him and offensive coordinator Max Warner, Hiliare saw enough.

"Okay, this meets exactly what you're looking for," Succes said, reminiscing on conversations with Hiliare.

After visiting Bowling Green, Hiliare committed -- and spent the offseason in Florida getting bigger, stronger and better for the heightened competition.

***

Hiliare took his stance on the right side of the line of scrimmage. Bowling Green trailed Marshall, 21-7, halfway through the second quarter of a Week 3 contest in 2022.

As Hiliare sprinted toward the endzone, quarterback Matt McDonald chose to gave his new receiver a chance. The problem? The pass was thrown to the inside, and a cornerback separated Hiliare from the ball.

But it proved to be a non-issue for Hiliare, who did a swim move with his right arm, pinned the ball against his shoulder and survived a fall to the ground to secure the touchdown. The play slotted at No. 3 on the SportsCenter Top 10 that evening and was one of two scores for Hiliare in Bowling Green's 34-31 overtime victory.

Bowling Green WR and @CGSAllStar @Hula_Bowl alumni Odieu Hiliare met with the Atlanta #Falcons.
“I’ve seen him track the football as good as any pro bowler in our league,” said one scout. Hiliare also met with the Las Vegas #Raiders recently. @0jstay1k #mucksports pic.twitter.com/l9OLzCncaG

— Muck Sports (@mucksportsrep) April 11, 2024

Hiliare is regarded as having elite ball skills and hand-eye coordination, which stems from his involvement in juggling at an early age. Taylor dubbed Hiliare's hands as impeccable and noted his hand-eye coordination is the best Taylor has ever coached.

And while Hiliare is considered a long-strider who has a strong grasp for how defenses play him, it's plays like the touchdown grab against Marshall that best illustrate his skill set.

"His body control -- when you don't think he has a chance to make a play, he moves his body and twists and turns in the air and makes ridiculous catches," Succes said. "His hands are crazy. He makes a lot of one-handed catches, tough catches. He's a pretty unique receiver."

Hiliare's uniqueness extends off the field, where he writes left-handed but throws right-handed.

Another aspect of Hiliare's off-field personality is the environment in which he was raised -- one built on competition. He and Succes often played Madden or other video games, with the loser forced to do 100 pushups.

Hiliare was eight years old when Succes left for college at Florida, but their time together on the controllers set the groundwork for Hiliare's tough on-field mindset.

"It was always fun but always competitive," Succes said. "He was always No. 1, no matter the age difference. 'I don't want you to take it easy on me, I'm not going to take it easy on you.' It was always fun, finding little competitive edges, and helps keep in mind the ultimate goal is to win."

When Hiliare arrived at Bowling Green, he had no shortage of competition to embrace. Each of the team's top four receivers from the year prior -- Tyrone Broden, Austin Osborne, Christian Sims and Taron Keith -- were all back in the fold.

But by midseason, Hiliare realized he could be the team's top wideout, and he finished the year as such. He led Bowling Green's offense with 58 catches for 747 receiving yards, and his 752 yards from scrimmage were also a team-high. His six touchdowns ranked second, trailing only Broden's seven.

Hiliare earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2022 and third-team in 2023, when he caught a team-best 45 passes for 532 yards and four scores.

The 23-year-old Hiliare not only left Bowling Green with a more proven resume covered in accolades, but also a much deeper knowledge of the sport and how to function in a pro-style offense.

Hiliare has always had a mind for football. When he and Succes would face one another, Hiliare, who started playing as a six-year-old, had to come up with his own playbook and play designs.

But at Bowling Green, Hiliare's football IQ leveled up. He said Alabama A&M played simple football and took what the defense gave, while Bowling Green incorporated more X's and O's and offered a deeper layer to the game not present with the Bulldogs.

Succes recalled a conversation he had with Hiliare shortly upon arriving at Bowling Green. Hiliare mentioned the variety of things he'd learned, from aligning on various hashes and numbers and using different route combinations based on where the offense was on the field.

There were daily discussions about concepts and new players installed. For Hiliare, it was new. Succes explained it was all part of maturing to the level.

And as Hiliare reflects on his time in the northwest Ohio town, he feels it helped make him NFL-ready -- and his gamble to leave stable stardom at Alabama A&M paid off.

"When I got to Bowling Green, we had to learn defenses, rotations, how many gaps of football, who covers which gap when it's a certain front -- a zero, a three, whatever with the D-linemen," Hiliare said. "We did run more NFL routes, like there's a lot of routes that we run here that I ran at Bowling Green.

"So, I would say it really prepared me for here, as far as the terminology of things and the plays. It's a pro-style offense, so it's a lot of things I'm familiar with in this offense due to Bowling Green, so forever grateful for that."

***

When Hiliare was working through the pre-draft process, he didn't have to look far to find an agent. Succes is a co-representative, but Markenson Pierre at Muck Sports Representation is the lead.

Pierre is close to Hiliare and his family. Hiliare is the same age as Pierre's younger brother. Succes told Pierre from the start he wanted to play more of a big brother role and enjoy the process, so Pierre handled all responsibilities with teams and scouts.

During the spring, Hiliare trained at Bommarito Performance Systems in Davie, Fla. Hiliare returned home to Belle Glade for the weekends, when he and Succes would go on runs at the beach.

The work, however, didn't necessarily net immediate satisfaction.

Hiliare didn't receive an invite to the NFL Combine, which only added to the significance of his pro day. He ran a 4.70 40-yard dash, a dagger for a sub-190-pound wideout.

But the Falcons remained confident in what they saw on film. Atlanta expressed lengthy pre-draft interest, and scouts across the league liked Hiliare's hands and body control.

Come draft day, Pierre was confident Hiliare would find a landing spot, but he wasn't entirely sure when -- or where -- that spot would be.

At 2 p.m. on April 25, the afternoon leading into the first round, Taylor, who stayed in touch with the family and spoke weekly with Hiliare about his games and coaching points, reached out via text.

"Good luck, it's your time," Taylor said, to which Hiliare extended his thanks and appreciation.

Later that night, just a few hours after the Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall, Taylor sent Hiliare another text -- this one much more straightforward.

"I texted OJ to tell him he's going to the Falcons," Taylor said. "He said, "LOL coach, I pray I do. If I do, I'll take you out to eat."

By weekends end, Taylor's prediction proved true. At 11:43 p.m. Sunday, April 28, Hiliare told Taylor he was going to rookie minicamp in Atlanta.

How did Taylor know? He said God told him so -- but he also recognized Atlanta's organizational intent after drafting Penix.

"When you picked Penix, it told me you were looking for great football players," Taylor said.

Taylor is waiting on Hiliare to make the team before heading to Atlanta for the meal -- and while Hiliare is considered more of a practice squad candidate than 53-man roster inclusion, he's beaten the odds before.

During rookie minicamp, Hiliare had a strong workout that impressed the Falcons' staff. After the three-day session ended May 12, Hiliare told Taylor via phone call he crushed the opportunity and was consistent throughout.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and receivers coach Ike Hilliard each stopped Hiliare on his way out and offered words of encouragement, but they ultimately signed a different tryout pass catcher in second-year pro Dylan Drummond.

But that wasn't the end of the line for Hiliare, who received a second workout with Atlanta less than 10 days later. Taylor told Hiliare the Falcons wanted him to show his initial performance wasn't a fluke, and he did exactly that.

On May 22, Hiliare signed his first professional contract -- a standard three-year undrafted free agent deal with no signing bonus.

Ever since, Hiliare has been with the Falcons' third- and fourth-string players. He spent much of OTAs, minicamp and training camp catching passes from Penix, a phenomenon that goes deeper than Taylor's prediction.

In the pre-draft process, Hiliare told Succes that Penix was his favorite quarterback in the draft and he wanted to play alongside the former University of Washington standout, citing how he involves all his receivers.

Penix is indirectly related to Hiliare's journey to Atlanta -- but has played a big part in trying to help him stay a Falcon beyond this summer.

***

Penix took his drop, looked left and fired to Hiliare, who was running a vertical route down the sideline. But Penix's pass was inside, and cornerback Mike Hughes -- a projected starter -- appeared to be in position to make the play.

Instead, Hiliare worked back to the ball and plucked it out of the air, his hands extending in front of Hughes' body. Atlanta's sideline broke into a frenzy at IBM Performance Field.

Here’s the clip of OJ Hiliare’s head-tap grab from practice today:

(via AtlantaFalcons/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/r4OQRf6QNh

— Rhys Patrykus (@RhysPatrykus) August 5, 2024

It was Aug. 5, and Hiliare had made the play of training camp -- if not the summer. Hiliare has made a habit of hauling in circus catches in single coverage. It stems, in part, from the Alabama A&M receivers room, which Taylor fittingly named, "The Outlaws."

The nickname arose because Taylor feels it should be illegal to guard his receivers one-on-one. It helped breed confidence and competition, and led to Hiliare taking the approach of having to stride and strain for each reps he received.

It started at Alabama A&M, went with him to Bowling Green and is still present in Atlanta. And according to Hilliard, a 12-year NFL receiver before entering the coaching industry, Hiliare is capitalizing on the reps he's received this summer.

"Real high on OJ," Hilliard said. "He's wired to separate, which we love. He has a great feel for the football, for the game. I think what separates OJ from a lot of younger players, his innate ability to win one-on-one situations. We've put him in a position to succeed. He's done a nice job.

"We're looking forward to watching his growth, and we'll see if he can find a way to make this team and contribute."

Apart from his catch over Hughes, Hiliare's highlight this summer came in redzone one-on-ones the week before in training camp, when he beat starting slot corner Dee Alford for a touchdown.

Yet as the video made its rounds on social media, some disregarded the contents of the play for another observation: Hiliare, a receiver, was wearing No. 11 -- the same as Falcons great Julio Jones.

Former Falcons coach Arthur Smith said last summer he'd never give a receiver No. 11 out of respect to Jones. Morris, who coached Jones from 2016-19, hasn't taken the same approach.

Taylor admitted he doesn't love Hiliare having No. 11, but he's looking at the situation from a glass-half-full perspective.

"I said, 'OJ, if they gave you Julio's number in practice, it means they have high expectations," Taylor said. "We might not start off like Julio, but we'll finish like Julio."

Yet as Hiliare has risen in notoriety, he's remained the same person his coaches and family have always known. One day, when the Falcons had an off day in training camp, Hiliare joined a Zoom call and talked to Alabama A&M's roster for 20 minutes about what training camp is like.

Taylor described Hiliare as the type of person to give you the shirt off his back.

"He's a pros pro, a man's man," Taylor said. "He's a guy that's hard to root against."

Hiliare finished the preseason with two catches for 32 yards on nine targets. He nearly made a late touchdown grab against the Miami Dolphins in the preseason opener Aug. 9, but the play was ruled incomplete after video review.

Atlanta's depth chart at receiver is set at the top, with Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge each holding cemented spots. Sixth-round rookie Casey Washington and returning practice squad member Chris Blair are the favorites for receiver No. 5 and 6, depending on how many the Falcons carry.

But Hiliare is a real practice squad candidate. He's flashed throughout camp, and Succes, who has been around NFL players his entire life, believes Hiliare has the complete package -- from intelligence, ball skills and playmaking to work ethic to personality.

Above all else, Succes knows perhaps better than anyone how Hiliare is wired: With tenacity, a life skill that's been mastered over time. He's cleared several hurdles to reach the sport's highest level, and when he took the field for the Aug. 9 opener in front of roughly three dozen family members and friends, it was a rewarding moment for all involved.

"From a brother's perspective, I tell him each and every day, 'I'm so proud of you,'" Succes said. "The injuries in high school, not getting the playing time you deserve, getting one offer. Regardless of what happens, I'm extremely proud of him."

Hiliare's fate will come in no later than Tuesday, when Atlanta trims its roster from 90 players down to 53. For better or worse, it will mark a big day he'll never forget.

But if Hiliare's story shows one thing, it's that a little bump in the rural, Belle Glade-rooted roads is nothing he can't overcome -- one spectacular catch at a time.