Why the Idea of Taysom Hill as a Franchise Quarterback is Absurd
I mean you wouldn’t want Mohamed Sanu as your starting QB right?
Lately, the idea of teams going out and signing Taysom Hill to be their quarterback of the future has been floating around. I’m here to say that is utterly ridiculous. Hill is a fun player, and he does have impact on the field. In three seasons, Hill has 352 yards rushing, 238 yards receiving and 9 total touchdowns. He also has returned kicks, blocked punts, and even has 13 career tackles. All of these fun stats however, should not give a franchise cause to sign Hill as their quarterback. Below, I am going to give three reasons why teams would be smart to avoid Hill as their quarterback.
Hill’s NFL passing numbers are far from desirable
While Hill may be a do-it-all type of player, perhaps the weakest part of his game is his passing ability. In 37 career games, Hill has attempted just 13 total passes, while completing only 6 of those attempts (46.2%). He has a grand total of 119 passing yards, and 0 touchdowns to go along with 1 interception. This all adds up to a quarterback rating of 46.6 (scale from 0 to 158.3). While these numbers are a small sample size, they should still be an endorsement that Hill is not a starting level QB. Other players with similar sample sizes have numbers which would suggest they are better equipped to be a starting quarterback. One name that especially comes to mind is wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. Throughout his eight year career, Sanu has attempted 8 total passes, and has completed 7 of them (87.5%). He has accumulated 233 passing yards, and 4 touchdowns compared to 0 interceptions. Numbers which add up to a perfect passer rating (158.3). Now I’m not saying (nor is anyone else) a team should go out and target Mohamed Sanu as their franchise QB. But when there’s word out there that teams should sign Taysom Hill as their quarterback, maybe those teams should ask themselves would they ever think sign Mohamed Sanu to be their quarterback. When that answer is no, then those teams should realize Hill (whose numbers are significantly worse than Sanu’s) is not a franchise QB.
It’s not just the NFL where Hill has struggled passing
You may brush off Hill’s NFL passing numbers by saying he hasn’t had enough opportunity. Well, I’m here to say opportunity isn’t the reason for Hill’s passing flaws. Hill played five seasons at BYU (one cut short due to injury), and his numbers passing, especially his senior year, were not impressive. During Hill’s senior season (one in which he should be the most refined), he completed 59.7% (on 372 attempts) of his throws for a total of 2,323 yards. Add in 12 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and you get a season which doesn’t resemble starting quarterback material. Even in his most productive season, Hill only passed for 19 touchdowns to go with 14 interceptions. So while some may say Hill just needs more opportunity, his collegiate numbers would suggest otherwise.
His own head coach doesn’t believe in Hill as a QB
If Taysom Hill was truly franchise quarterback material, why wouldn’t Sean Payton insert him into the starting lineup when Drew Brees was out for five weeks. I know Teddy Bridgewater was available (who filled in admirably going undefeated in five games started), but even in Bridgewater’s best season he only had 3,231 yards and 14 touchdowns in 16 games. Those aren’t numbers which necessarily give a coach the utmost confidence. If Hill did have the ability to lead a franchise, Payton would have turned to him in that situation. Furthermore, the way Payton uses Hill on the field confirms Payton’s lack of confidence in Hill as a passer. Coaches wouldn’t have a player returning kicks and blocking punts if they truthfully believed that player was their future franchise quarterback. Payton knows what Hill is, a 30 year old gadget guy, not a franchise quarterback.
