The Expectations and Effects of RB/FB/TE Taysom Hill (1 Viewer)

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Expectations:
A common refrain among fans is "Taysom Hill is going to be our Kyle Juszczyk". The San Francisco game gave us the first real preview of what Hill can be in this offense. And, Hill is going to be sooo much more than Kyle Juszczyk. Let's look at each players stats over the last 4 years.

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Rushing:
Juszczyk had only 37att or 9 att/season with a 3.2y/a over the last 4yrs. Taysom had 334att or 84 att/season with 5.4y/a. The limited rushing for Juszczyk makes him a TE/FB. Taysom will be a HB/FB/TE. He likely won't maintain his 5.4y/a due to not running the QB power, but he is going to get plenty of rushing touches.
The very first play against SF saw Taysom at HB behind Prentice at FB for an 8yd rush:



This isn't a typical Juszczyk set.

The next drive from 6-yard line saw Taysom at FB in the I-formation with Williams at HB rushing for 4yds on first down. The second down play had Taysom solo at HB take a handoff and Olave missed his block resulitng in -1yd. The 3rd drive resulting in a TD saw Taysom at FB in the I-formation with Williams at HB rushing for 15yds on first down. Taysom took out the safety to spring Williams. Next play Taysom is the HB in the I-formation behind Prentice and picks up 11yds.



Later we see the a similer first and second down plan. Taysom at FB, Williams at HB, and a big gain of 10yds behing a Hill block. Next we see Carr in the gun with Hill solo next to him. This is the set I've want to see for years. It's a handoff to Hill for 2yds but it's the optionality of this formation that has me excited. Hill can rush, block, catch out the backfield or even take a pitch for a HB pass. It's a scheme nightmare.



Hill's last rep was the FB handoff for a TD. No suprise the squat king muscles his way in for a TD. He finished with 5att for 21yrd and 4.2y/a with a 1-yard TD. Hill was averaging 5.0y/a before the TD.

This FB/HB usage is something unique and exciting. It's not Juszczyk.

Receiving:
Juszczyk has 82rec on 107tgt with 10y/r with a 76.6catch% over the last 4 years. Hill has 54rec on 71tgt with 9.6y/r with a 76.1catch%. This looks like Juszczyk getting 33% more targets with similar productivity. The reality is QB Taysom Hill ate into his targets. Hill averaged 7rec/season between 20-22. Hill was moved to TE in 2023 and had 33rec on 40tgt with 8.8y/r and 82.5catch%. I think we will see similar pass catching numbers from both players with Taysom likley getting less looks this year with increased HB/FB usage and rushing attack focused playcalling. (I don't have All-22 access so it's tough for me to talk TE usage.) I saw Hill as the motion TE on a couple of plays. Hill is the "Move TE" and what I didn't see (again limited) was Hill at "Wide TE". I think his Wide TE sets are going to be limited. I see Foster as Inline TE and Holker as Wide TE unitl JJ returns. Both Juszczyk and Hill look to fill the "Move TE" role but there's one huge difference - Hill is explosive. Juszczyk is a typical 4.7/40yd guy who can get you some RAC. Hill likely still runs a 4.4 and is dangerous in open field. We saw at least one snap with a player still in motion. If we give Hill a running start against a LB, then it's a missmatch every time.

Effect:
Hill is going to be so much more than Juszczyk in this offense. HB Hill was on full display for the first time with him behind a FB and solo. FB Hill on first down will force 3LB sets. FB Hill switching to Move TE Hill on 2nd down is going keep DefCoor up at night. Hill as wide TE often pulled safety coverage in 2023. Hill at FB/Move TE is going to get LBs and with a running start there are going to be some really easy targets. There is going be questions like is Hill RB2or3, FB1or2, and TE2,3,or4. It might look like some mad scientist amalgamation of Kyle Juszczyk, Peyton Hillis, and Mike Alstott. But, by the end of the season Hill will have once again carve out is own unique role that's comparable to no one.
 
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Great write-up.

Skies the limit for Taysom. I have felt for years that for all the praise he got, we were severely under-utilizing him. The guy really should have been a focal point of our offense all this time IMO, a weekly featured player.

Our old offensive regime focused a little TOO much on spreading the ball around at times, often times electing to intentionally go away from the hot hand.

Taysom’s new usage is always going to make things awkward on defensive coordinators, who are going to have fits trying to matchup his personnel with Taysom in the game.
 
Great post!

I'm not sure people realize it but Taysom had more touches (114) last year than Juszczyk, Kittle and Jauan Jennings combined (104).

Cool fact. Taysom is going to get opportunities. I mentioned Hillis and Alstott because they are both players who had 1k combined Run/Rec seasons who fit a different mold. I think there is an outside chance Hill does something similar. I believe we see more AK slot option routes and a return of 650+yds receiving with 8.5+y/rec for him. There's was this "Miller will out rush AK" narrative early in camp. I think they may have got the name wrong. I can see Hill with 850+ total yards with 650+ rushing.
 
Expectations at Fullback

Taysom will bring much more to the Saints offense than what Juszczyk brings to the 49ers offense as a whole. Even in the limited the role Hill will play at Fullback he could easily outshine what Juszczyk does at Fullback. Consider that Juszczyk has made the Pro-Bowl 8 consecutive years in a row and was 1st Team All-Pro in 2023, his production numbers in 2023 was 5 rushing attempts for 6 yards and no touchdowns along with 14 receptions for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. Alec Ingold of the Miami Dolphins was the AFC Pro-Bowl Fullback in 2023. His production numbers were 0 rushing attempt for 0 yards and 0 touchdowns along with 13 receptions for 119 yards and zero touchdowns.

What are the odds of Taysom Hill eclipsing the numbers put up by both Juszczyk and Ingold in 2023?

Putting up more than 6 yards rushing from the Fullback position in 2024 by TH7 is a given. He may exceed that in week 1.

Putting up more than zero touchdowns rushing from the Fullback position in 2024 by TH7 is almost a certainty. All he needs is 1 rushing TD.

Putting up more than 119 yards receiving from the Fullback position in 2024 by TH7 is a good possibility even though he will be used as a FB in a part-time role.

Does anyone here think Hill won't put up better numbers from the Fullback position in 2024 than what Juszczyk and Ingold put up in 2023?

Does Taysom Hill have a chance to make the Pro-Bowl or be named All-Pro at the Fullback position in 2024?

Expectations at Running Back


I expect that Hill will get some rushes from the traditional I-formation Tailback position. I also expect to see him used as a single back lined up next to Carr in the backfield who gets a few handoffs but used more in that set to slip out of the backfield into the passing game on both short and wheel routes along with screen passes. Maybe some toss sweeps with run/pass options.

Expectations at Tight End

I'm expecting that Hill will get less snaps at the Tight End position simply because of his use in the backfield. We must also consider that it appears Juwan Johnson will be more available in 2024 than in 2023 and the emergence of Dallon Holker as a receiving TE threat could also reduce the snaps Taysom gets at TE in 2024. I'm expecting a slight drop off in his receiving production but not necessarily his overall snaps starting from the TE position as he will be put in motion and moved from the TE position to the backfield and also to the opposite side of the formation in the slot position.

Overall Expectations of Taysom Hill

He will play many roles in the Kubiak offense. He will get snaps at FB, RB, TE, and QB. He will be put in motion a lot. Some of that motion will be used as a tell of whether the defense is playing zone or man to man coverage. With Taysom being on the field it could also dictate the defense in whether they will be in a base look with a 3 LB set or a nickel coverage.

Effect

The effect of Taysom Hill will be more effective this year than in years past as Kubiak will use Hill in a multitude of ways that will put constant pressure on the defense to determine how to defend the various looks the offense is showing with Hill on the field. The main effect Hill has on the team is winning!
 
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Taysom will bring much more to the Saints offense than what Juszczyk brings to the 49ers offense as a whole. Even in the limited the role Hill will play at Fullback he could easily outshine what Juszczyk does at Fullback. Consider that Juszczyk has made the Pro-Bowl 8 consecutive years in a row and was 1st Team All-Pro in 2023, his production numbers in 2023 was 5 rushing attempts for 6 yards and no touchdowns along with 14 receptions for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. Alec Ingold of the Miami Dolphins was the AFC Pro-Bowl Fullback in 2023. His production numbers were 0 rushing attempt for 0 yards and 0 touchdowns along with 13 receptions for 119 yards and zero touchdowns.

What are the odds of Taysom Hill eclipsing the numbers put up by both Juszczyk and Ingold in 2023?

Putting up more than 6 yards rushing from the Fullback position in 2024 by TH7 is a given. He may exceed that in week 1.

Putting up more than zero touchdowns rushing from the Fullback position in 2024 by TH7 is almost a certainty. All he needs is 1 rushing TD.

Putting up more than 119 yards receiving from the Fullback position in 2024 by TH7 is a good possibility even though he will be used as a FB in a part-time role.

Does anyone here think Hill won't put up better numbers from the Fullback position in 2024 than what Juszczyk and Ingold put up in 2023?

Does Taysom Hill have a chance to make the Pro-Bowl or be named All-Pro at the Fullback position in 2024?

Team needs to identify him clearly as a FB for that to happen IMO.

He’s such a unique weapon that sadly I don’t know if he will get this nod unless the team makes it clear that they consider him a FB.

Last I saw, we still identify him as a QB.
 
Both players are also 33 years old. Both are 6'2" but Juszczyk is heavier at 235 (Hill is 220). I believe Hill is way faster and more athletic. Will be fun to watch.
 
Team needs to identify him clearly as a FB for that to happen IMO.

He’s such a unique weapon that sadly I don’t know if he will get this nod unless the team makes it clear that they consider him a FB.

Last I saw, we still identify him as a QB.

I don't think the Saints will change Hill being designated as a QB. The main reason may have to do with the possibility of losing Carr to an injury that forces him to miss part or all of the remaining season. The team may elect to play one or both of the younger QBs, but there's the possibility of Hill playing a lot more snaps at the QB position in that situation.

The recognition and accolades shouldn't be based just on the players designated position, but rather it should be based on the plays/snaps from a given position and the results thereof. An example of that could be that a Tight End could also be the teams long snapper and could be the best long snapper in the league in a given year. The same could be said if a position player was also the teams punter. If you put up the best numbers from a give position in a season you should be recognized for doing such, not denied because of a position designation, IMO.
 
I don't think the Saints will change Hill being designated as a QB. The main reason may have to do with the possibility of losing Carr to an injury that forces him to miss part or all of the remaining season. The team may elect to play one or both of the younger QBs, but there's the possibility of Hill playing a lot more snaps at the QB position in that situation.

The recognition and accolades shouldn't be based just on the players designated position, but rather it should be based on the plays/snaps from a given position and the results thereof. An example of that could be that a Tight End could also be the teams long snapper and could be the best long snapper in the league in a given year. The same could be said if a position player was also the teams punter. If you put up the best numbers from a give position in a season you should be recognized for doing such, not denied because of a position designation, IMO.
Lol, 🦌 already screwed us in Yahoo FF. TH7 is BACK to being listed as a QB.
 

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