Defensive Lineman B.J. Hill is 6-3 and 303 pounds, but he is, he said. "The baby in my family."

That's because he has three older sisters. They like to join Hill's parents, two nephews and a niece who have made the 10-hour drive from the family's home outside Charlotte, N.C. to see him play for the Giants.

"They love coming up here and watching me play," Hill said.

With good reason. Hill played in every game, started 12, and broke the Giants franchise rookie record with 5.5 sacks. Hill totaled 48 tackles (32 solo).

"I came a long way from day one to now, and I think I'm still getting better each and every week," he said. "That's my goal to get better and help the team win."

He certainly did on Dec. 2, when Hill had 3.0 sacks in the Giants' 30-27 overtime victory against the Chicago Bears. Hill had the first three-sack game by a Giants player since Jason Pierre-Paul had 3.0 sacks at Denver on Oct. 15, 2017 and the first by a Giants rookie since Philip Tabor vs. Philadelphia on Sept. 23, 1979.

"We won, so that was the most important part," Hill said. "But it was fun going out there and competing. There was a lot of help with the back end and the coverage that helped me get the three sacks."

Since the Giants traded Damon Harrison to Detroit on Oct. 24, the defensive line has been manned by young players, including Hill, Dalvin Tomlinson, Josh Mauro, Mario Edwards, Kerry Wynn, and McIntosh. 

"We've always had a close bond, we always get along together, we always do stuff together, and you can tell in our play," Hill said. "The way we're playing we're just a close group right now."

The same can be said for the six members of the draft class.

"I think we have one of the best rookie classes in the NFL this year," Hill said. "We're a close group, we do a lot of stuff together, we always text each other and make sure we're on top of stuff, make sure we're doing the right things."

Hill is modest and low-key when discussing his contributions on the field. But ask the North Carolina native about living in the nation's largest metropolitan area and he perks up

"I love it up here," he said. "I love everything about it. It's way different from North Carolina, but I came from a smaller town, a little country town. I love it, living up here in the city and New Jersey and getting to see new things that you don't ever get to see in North Carolina."

Based on his rookie performance, Hill will have many years to see everything he wants.