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New Orleans Saints: Who is Tommy Stevens and why is he the next Taysom Hill

By Sean Nief

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Tommy Stevens #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs looks on during the second half of a game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: Tommy Stevens #7 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs looks on during the second half of a game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

How was he in college?

When it came time to graduate, Stevens made the decision to commit to Penn State. However, Stevens would never really get the chance to prove his abilities for his entire time as a Nittany Lion.

Stevens was forced to become more of a utility player at Penn State because Trace McSorley, now a Baltimore Raven, took the mantle as the starting quarterback. McSorley filled the role of a strong passer and a mobile quarterback, which essentially rendered Stevens’ unique skill set useless to the team’s offense.

Prior to the beginning of the 2019 season, Stevens made the decision to transfer to Mississippi State as a fifth-year senior. Before officially becoming a Bulldog, Stevens had actually accrued more rushing yards than passing yards as a Nittany Lion.

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Coming into the 2019 season, Stevens had rushed for 506 yards and passed for a paltry 304 yards. Mississippi was Stevens’ one shot to prove his worth before his college career would come to an end, but even that had some obstacles to overcome.

Anyone who simply looks at Stevens’ stats from his single season at Mississippi State could easily discount his performance as an underperformance. Even when given the starting role as a Bulldog, Stevens only managed to compile 1155 passing yards and 381 rushing yards as well as 15 total touchdowns.

Although these statistics are nowhere near draft-worthy, Stevens managed these statistics while missing entire games and parts of games due to a multitude of injuries.

In his sole season with Mississippi State, Stevens suffered from a separated shoulder against Southern Mississippi, a high-ankle sprain against Tennessee and a broken rib which led to a punctured lung against Abilene Christian.

While he had glimpses of greatness, Stevens was continuously cut short of his true potential because of injuries. Despite all of this, Stevens still managed to get drafted by the New Orleans Saints, and now he has another chance.

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