The New Orleans Saints turned plenty of heads in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft by trading their 2021 sixth rounder to the Houston Texans, acquiring pick No. 240: which they used on Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens.
But much like Taysom Hill, Stevens is more than a quarterback. He spoke with local media on a conference call after the pick was announced, describing how his pre-draft communication with New Orleans included teleconference calls and a workout video of him running routes drawn up by Saints coaches.
Stevens transferred to Mississippi State in 2019 after playing at Penn State the previous four years. During that time, he worked with then-assistant coach Joe Brady on a package of plays that featured him running the ball and catches passes. A few years later, Brady expanded that package with Hill in New Orleans before taking his own path to a prominent role in the NFL.
I was very fortunate to have my Pro Day at my training facility in Tampa, Florida this week. Video has been sent to all 32 NFL teams. The numbers show that I’m ready and I couldn’t be more excited for the next phase of the process. #NFLDraft2020 🤟🏼 pic.twitter.com/MN3k5rYbUL
— Tommy Stevens (@TMS_II) March 20, 2020
The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Stevens planned to work out at both tight end and wide receiver at the Bulldogs’ pro day, which was cancelled because of the coronavirus. He still went through a virtual workout at his training facility in Florida and sent video to every team in the NFL, but he’s happy with where he landed.
“I think this is the perfect spot for me. I couldn’t think of a better situation,” Stevens said. He’ll have an opportunity to learn Hill’s playbook on offense while providing depth as a passer, which explains why the Saints were willing to go pursue him so hard.
While the Saints have now traded a 2021 third-round pick (in the move up for Zack Baun) and a 2021 sixth-round pick (for Stevens), they are projected to receive compensatory draft picks in both of those rounds after losing a few veteran free agents this offseason. So these trades might be more strategic than they appear at first glance.