Cardinals new QB Chris Streveler has the potential to be the next Taysom Hill
The Arizona Cardinals made a roster addition, recently, by agreeing to a futures deal with Chris Streveler.
Many of you are asking: Who is Chris Streveler?
Well, first his last name rhymes with leveler; as he is referred to as ‘Streveler the Leveler’ due to his tenacious running style.
On the surface, Streveler, listed at 6ft1 and 216 pounds on his CFL profile, looks like a fairly pedestrian addition but the skill set he has is tough to replicate.
Streveler has always been an athletic marvel going back to his high school days. Streveler tortured opposing teams with his arm and legs; he accounted for over 2600 yards passing with 26 TDs to go along with over 1200 yards rushing and 22 TDs in his senior season at Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, IL, the same high school that produced Bryan Bulaga (Green Bay Packers, OT).
Streveler reported to the Minnesota Golden Gophers football program where he redshirted in 2013. Then in 2014, he earned the start against San Jose State; once again displaying crazy athleticism. He totaled 161 rushing yards on 18 carries en route to a 24-7 victory.
The Minnesota coaching staff, obviously, understood the kind of game-breaking athlete they had on their hands and Streveler began to see time at other positions during his time with the Golden Gophers. Ultimately, Streveler ended up at WR while competing for Minnesota. Streveler graduated from Minnesota with two years of eligibility remaining and this is where it all comes together.
Streveler elected to finish out his college career with the South Dakota Coyotes. While attending South Dakota, Streveler was purely a QB. In his first season with the Coyotes Streveler was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2016 while earning All-Conference honors; in addition to accounting for 31 of 41 USD touchdowns on the season. In the 2016 season, Streveler totaled 1947 passing yards and 22 passing TDs in combination with a team-high 823 yards.
In his final season of competition, Streveler balled out. There is no other way to put it. He received All-American honors while being named MVFC Offensive POY and finished second in the voting results for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS Offensive POY Award. Streveler totaled 4854 yards of total offense, 4134 passing yards, and 43 TDs; 32 passing and 11 rushing.
So one would think an invite to the combine would await? Well, it didn’t come.
However, on his pro day, Streveler put on a magical display. He posted a 4.45 forty yard dash, 38.5-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 125 inches and those numbers would have been amongst the best, if not the best, at the combine in the QB group that year. Given that athletic ability and his willingness to do whatever he can to help the team that is why my mind goes in the Taysom Hill direction.
However, his shot at the NFL didn’t immediately come. Streveler went undrafted in 2018 and almost immediately landed in the CFL. He played as a rookie; in fact starting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at points of the season. In 2019, Streveler began as the backup and then orchestrata championship run when called upon for Winnipeg. It was in the Grey Cup, the CFL Championship Game, that Streveler unleashed his inner Taysom Hill; as he was a factor as a passer , runner and pass catcher. While it was a small sampling it was enough for teams to notice.
Streveler in two CFL seasons has 19 TD and 19 INT with 2698 passing yards, so it is not a threat to Kyler Murray, but rather a tool for Kliff Kingsbury to get creative in the playbook. The creativity lies in the 22 rushing TDs and 1167 yards over those two seasons. This is what grabbed the attention of NFL teams. Streveler has shown the ability to play other positions in his career, won a Grey Cup where his versatility was on display and has continued to improve at the QB position from year-to-year.
Streveler looks like he could make some noise this offseason as the Cardinals have only Kyler Murray and Derek Anderson currently on the roster with Brett Hundley being a free agent. Streveler should be able to compete for the primary backup job as he has operated from a shotgun based offense previously and the transition to Kingsbury’s system should be a smooth one. And given his ability as a football player, do not be surprised at all to see him used in a Taysom Hill type role.
This is a guy I’m rooting for and I hope you all keep an eye out for him too.
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