Though Towson University’s Tom Flacco welcomes the opportunity of playing a role similar to New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill in the NFL, he’s still preparing to be a quarterback at the next level.
In Saints head coach Sean Payton’s offense, Hill is used as a running back, receiver and on special teams even though he is listed on the roster as a quarterback. In his last two seasons with the Saints, Hill has accumulated 352 rushing yards and 238 receiving yards. Hill has only attempted 13 passes during his NFL career.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Flacco has heard the Hill comparisons and is not taking them as a slight. However, he has not played any other position since he first began playing quarterback in his freshman year at Eastern High School (N.J.). Flacco threw for 6,082 yards, ran for 1,066 yards and led Towson to a pair of 7-5 season after the Tigers finished 5-6 in 2017.
“Being an athletic person gives me more opportunity to make a team, be on a 53-man roster and get my foot in the door to be a quarterback in the future,” Flacco said on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 31. “That’s what I’m kind of looking at it as.”
Flacco, 25, said the last time he played a position outside of quarterback came during his youth football days, when he played running back and special teams, but all Flacco is looking for is an opportunity. Even though he hasn’t played a different position in more than a decade, Flacco believes his athleticism gives him a chance to do just that in the NFL.
“I’ll take whatever I can,” Flacco said. “I’m trying to get seen by as many scouts before draft day, just so they can see how good I am and compare me to other people that they have on their board.”
Flacco said Towson head coach Rob Ambrose told him his athleticism is an asset.
“Coach Rob Ambrose said to me a lot of times, ‘Hey Tom, being an athletic person is not a bad thing. It’s such a small roster in the NFL and them knowing you can be a quarterback and also do more, that’s a pretty good talent to have,'” Flacco recalled.
However, Flacco is not preparing as if he expects to play any other position than quarterback. At the Tropical Bowl Jan. 12, Flacco led his team to a 35-7 victory and threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco also rushed for a touchdown.
Flacco has spoken to multiple teams, including the Denver Broncos, for whom his brother and former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco now plays. Flacco hopes the NFL scouts see he’s a leader, or in his words, a “CEO.”
“You’re trying to be the CEO of the team,” Flacco said. “You need to show that you’re capable of taking a team and doing what they want to do and I hope that they walk away saying that, ‘Yeah, he’s a CEO. He’s got the personality traits that we want and he can be the leader of the team.'”
At 25, Flacco is one of the older prospects in the draft, but he does not believe that determines what kind of prospect he is.
“I don’t think my age matters at all,” Flacco said. “If you’re a mature person, then you’ll be a mature person throughout the process. And if you’re not, you’re probably going to be an immature person.”
For more from Flacco, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: ENP Photography