Jeremy Hill signs deal with Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are working to have all of their draft picks signed when they open Organized Team Activities Tuesday, and they've now signed running back Jeremy Hill.

Hill announced the deal had been signed via Twitter:

Just inked my deal with the Bengals #WhoDeyNation gonna be a great season

— Jeremy Hill (@JeremyHill33) May 25, 2014

Cincinnati took Hill and with the 55th-overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Hill was regarded as of the top running backs in this year's class after rushing for 1,401 yards (6.9 ypc) and 16 touchdowns while catching 18 passes for 181 yards 10.1) in 12 games.

He tied a school mark with seven 100-yard games, including a 216-yard performance in the Outback Bowl.

Hill joins a crowded unit with Giovani Bernard and BenJarvus Green-Ellis to form what will be one of the deeper backfields in 2014.

Despite wide speculation that the Bengals would cut Green-Ellis to save money, it appears they are keeping him instead. That's likely so that he can be a veteran mentor to Hill, who's had his share of incidents in college.

Going into the draft, Hill looked to be the type of player that Cincinnati has shied away from with their approach to the draft with the avoidance of character issues. He's been arrested twice at LSU, including one in 2011 for sexual battery -- leading to a guilty plea to misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a juvenile. The second was for assault leading to probation through July 12, 2015.

Earlier this year, Hill sent out a letter to all 32 teams in an effort to explain his past.

"I put myself in that situation, but, like I said, I can't really focus on that," he said. "All I can do is make the right decisions going forward and put myself in the best position possible. ... I'm just moving forward and doing the right things from here on out."

Hill also said that NFL teams are aware of his past.

"It'€™s just up to me to be honest about it and let them know ... everything that happened, and everything else will take care of itself after that," he said.

Hill and Bernard together highlight a bright future for the Bengals' backfield.