Mark it on your calendar April 29th, 2018. The first week of Jazz Fest. Also, the New Orleans Pelicans got smashed in Game One against the Golden State Warriors. The NFL Draft wrapped up with the Saints finally getting their edge rusher. There was also another storyline underneath the plethora of local news and sports headlines. The New Orleans Saints did not draft a quarterback.
New Orleans Saints Draft: Why Quarterback Taysom Hill Is the Winner
Make no mistake, Taysom Hill has to feel pretty good going into the 2018 season. He will undoubtedly have to beat out Tom Savage to win the backup job. Also, with the acquisition of J.T. Barrett, it’s likely to be a battle for that backup position. Nevertheless, Hill has the coaches’ eyes and some experience being with the team for a solid year.
The fact that the Saints didn’t select a quarterback, has to instill some confidence in Hill. Surely, Who Dat Nation was salivating in round one, when the Saints traded up to move to the 14th overall pick. The thought was that the Saints were going to pick a quarterback. That’s the usual scenario when a team moves up and gives up a couple of draft picks.
Taysom Hill Still the Favorite to Back Up Drew Brees
However, the Saints duped many and picked a very talented but raw defensive end Marcus Davenport from Texas-San Antonio. Time will eventually tell if that pick was worth the sacrifice. Regardless, there didn’t seem to be much of an urgency to draft other available signal callers that were still on the board.
Now it’s irrelevant. Quarterback Taysom Hill has to be the slight favorite going into camp this summer. The question is, how did Hill get to this point without other teams failing to notice? In other words, being the backup to an aging Drew Brees is nothing to sneeze at. In 2018, the backup position could be important this year.
The Saints are no doubt one of the favorites from the NFC. Hopefully, Brees will stay healthy and lead this team to the promised land. That’s the hope. However, the backup quarterback must be ready in 2018 more than ever. There is no next year. This is the year. Everyone has a role. No doubt, Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis haven’t thought about Plan B if Brees starts to regress or misses some time due to injury. Brees is coming up on that unenviable age of 40 years old for a starting quarterback. Hill probably knows now that he’s in a perfect place to learn and develop. Furthermore, this is his chance to prove he’s more than just another backup for Brees. Hill could be the next heir apparent to the throne of quarterback royalty.
