Heinrich Haarberg's career with the Nebraska football team certainly had its share of twists and turns. The Hastings native went from a backup quarterback to QB1 to starting tight end. Now he's looking to get to the NFL. While playing in the pros is still a long shot, Haarberg does have his fans, including Sports Illustrated analyst Conor Orr.
Should Haarberg make a roster in the NFL, it's likely not going to be through the draft. However, Orr believes there's a very real chance the quarterback-turned-tight end could eventually have a career like Taysom Hill's.
Heinrich Haarberg has been Nebraska's Swiss Army Knife
Orr started out by correctly stating that it feels like some quarterback or utility player coming out of college is billed as the next Taysom Hill on a yearly basis.
"There actually is a Taysom Hill in this draft," Orr wrote. "Perhaps the cleanest replica of Taysom Hill we’ve ever seen—and it’s not simply an aged-out collegiate quarterback we can’t comfortably place into a bucket. His name is Heinrich Haarberg and his path to arriving here is fascinating.
Haarberg himself has heard the comparisons to Hill. He seems mostly flattered, but also doesn't know if he quite fits the bill. Still, he's open to the idea of taking on that role if it gets him into the NFL.
Heinrich Haarberg will to go from Nebraska football to Taysom Hill stardom
"I’m probably a little bit closer to prototypical tight end size than [Taysom Hill]," Haarberg said earlier. “He was just a phenomenal athlete. Like him, I’m willing to do whatever, if that’s the role that a team wants me to play, kind of a Swiss Army knife. I play special teams, play tight end, play tailback, line up in the Wildcat. I do quarterback sneaks. If that’s what a team wants me to do, I’m all for it. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help a team win."
Hill is a former BYU quarterback (who ironically played in the Cougars' Hail Mary upset of Nebraska in 2015 but didn't throw the pass) who has managed to turn himself into a jack of all trades with the New Orleans Saints.
From 2017 through 2025, Hill completed 195 of 308 passes for 2,426 yards, 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He's also carried 489 times for 2,551 career yards and 34 TDs. He's also caught 110 passes for 1,034 yards and another 11 scores. He's even returned one punt and 20 kickoffs.
Can Heinrich Haarberg really become the next Taysom Hill? That's a very big question, but the Nebraska veteran is willing to give it a go, and he's got the drive to try.
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