New Orleans Saints Gameday, August 9, 2019

It would be fair to say that Taysom Hill is a "do-it-all" QB for the Saints. But that doesn't necessarily begin to cover one of the most interesting stories in the NFL.
Hill's story began in Pocatello, Idaho where he played QB for Highland High School and was the All-Idaho Player of the Year, Gatorade High School Player of the Year and first-team all-state selection in 2009.
Hill received offers from many schools in the West including Arizona, Boise State, Washington State, Stanford and BYU. He ended up committing to Stanford un­der then-coach Jim Harbaugh but never actually landed on campus. Instead, he decided to fulfill a two-year Mormon mission trip in Australia. ...
When Hill completed the trip, he decided to return home and jump back into his football career at BYU, where the football program was more familiar with athletes serving mission trips than most programs. ...
By his junior season at BYU, Hill was a Heisman Trophy candidate with the likes of Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston - both are now starting NFL QBs. That sea­son, however, was cut short due to an injury. That was all too familiar for Hill, as four of his five seasons at BYU ended in injuries - a knee injury, a broken fibula, a foot fracture and an elbow strain. What got Hill through all those injuries? ... Hill would go back to advice he received from Harbaugh, who he stayed in contact with after the recruiting process.
"He shared with me an experience that he had when he was playing at Michigan where he had just broken his arm his junior year and wasn't able to play and com­pete," Hill said. Harbaugh told Hill that the best way to fill the void of not being able to play football was to compete in something else.
"I went and competed in the classroom," Hill said. "That filled the void mentally and emotionally of where I was feeling like I was still contributing to Taysom Hill the person, as well as rehabbing and getting back and ready for the next season, which was also contributing to Taysom Hill the football player. ..." Hill ended up gradua­ting from BYU with a degree in finance. ...

L-R: Taysom Hill with BYU and Saints and blocking punt against Bucs

The Packers brought Hill to training camp in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. The coaches quickly liked what they saw and planned to sign him to their practice squad after preseason. Meanwhile, Sean Payton had been studying film on Green Bay WR Max McCaffery. He then noticed the person that was throwing the ball to McCaffe­ry. He was intrigued.
Not too long after that, the Saints picked up Hill off of waivers and he was in New Orleans. "There was no grace period," Hill said.
He found out that Saturday that the Saints had picked him up, he flew to New Or­leans on Sunday and was out practicing on Monday before the 2017 regular season opener against the Vikings.
His experience in New Orleans was culture shock compared to what he was used to in Idaho. But one thing stood out to him: "The city was unique, the people were unique and I felt the love for the Saints the second that I got to New Orleans," he said.
Hill was trying to learn as much as he could from QBs Drew Brees and Chase Dan­iel ... "I was just trying to do the best I could and trying to catch up and learn the system," Hill said. ... Hill's career took a fascinating turn late in the 2017 season when then-Special Teams Coach Mike Westhoff needed a player to cover kick re­turns. Hill was that guy.
In his career up to that point, Hill had done a lot of things. In high school he played WR, RB while also serving as the punter/kicker. Hill grew up a multi-sport athlete. He ran track, competing in the long jump and 200-meter run. But covering a kickoff in the NFL? That was a new one.
"When the special teams coaches came to me and they had this experiment of put­ting me on special teams, it was a whole other ballgame where I went through that experience all over again of trying to learn a new system and new positions that were so foreign to me," Hill said.
Hill worked with secondary coach Aaron Glenn on tackling drills, all while still wear­ing his red non-contact jersey, the week before he would take his first shot at playing special teams.
In his NFL regular season debut against the Panthers, Hill picked up two tackles and came close to blocking two punts. Payton gave Hill the special teams game ball following the win.
Payton continued to new ways to use Hill last season, which his stat line attests to: 3-for-7 passing with 64y, 37 rushing attempts for 196y, three receptions, 14 kick returns for 348y, six special teams stops and a blocked punt.
His first kick return was a 47-yarder against the Browns. The following week against the Falcons, he returned three kicks for 64y, made a tackle on special teams, was used as a TE to block and even ran the ball three times for 39y. Hill scored his first TD against the Redskins ...
Hill picked up the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor when he blocked a punt against the Buccaneers that led to the Saints comeback victory and clinched the division title. He was also a key part in the Saints NFC Divisional Playoff win against the Eagles. New Orleans was down by 14 points at the start of the second quarter when Payton called a fake punt on fourth down using the team's "secret weapon." Hill was able to get the first down, which ultimately sparked the comeback.
During this year's training camp, Hill could still be seen practicing with special teams covering kicks and working on his tackling drills, but Payton is seeing his progress as a QB. Payton raves about Hill's abilities as a leader and a teammate and says his grasp of the offense is continuing to increase.
For now, Hill will take any opportunity he can to get on the field. He might not have the starting QB position that he would like, but he's still been able to compete and throw himself in a role where he is successful. ...
"I had zero expectation that my career would go this way in the NFL," Hill said. ... I've always been a competitor. I've always loved being on the field and competing. I have had so much fun being able to get on the field, be in the huddle with Drew ... And it's been a really unique experience."
So, what exactly is Hill? You could call him a "do-it-all" player. Maybe even a swiss-army-knife type of guy. I would be fair to call him all those things. To Hill, he is and always will just be a QB.
"It's really been a fun experience for me," Hill said. "I couldn't ask for anything more."