Hawkins was the thirteenth player selected in the 1959 NFL Draft, but was released in mid-September by first-year head coach Vince Lombardi of the The first four rounds of the draft were held in early December 1958, nearly two months before Lombardi was hired. Hawkins was picked up by Baltimore Colts, and they repeated as NFL champions his rookie season, defeating the New York Giants in the title game in Baltimore.