Coach Was ‘Blown Away’ by Potential Packers QB Taylor Elgersma

At this time about a year ago, Taylor Elgersma was an up-and-coming quarterback getting ready for his final season at Canada’s Wilfrid Laurier University. With size, arm strength and intelligence, just how far could he go in the sport?

To answer that question, he was sent to QB Country, a quarterback-training facility that’s had 16 quarterbacks drafted, including 2024 first-rounders Drake Maye and Bo Nix. The objective for Birmingham, Ala.-based coach Ben Neill was straightforward.

“You’re NFL-caliber and you need to give this thing all you got or, no, it’s going to be a long shot and you might want to get ready for Canada,” Neill told Packers On SI on Friday.

Cutting to the chase, the answer was, yes, Elgersma had what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. His skills were apparent in winning Canada’s version of the Heisman Trophy in 2024, earning an invitation to the Senior Bowl and getting an opportunity as a tryout player with the Green Bay Packers at last weekend’s rookie minicamp.

Elgersma, who also had a predraft visit with the Packers, is back in Green Bay this weekend, according to 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk, for a “follow-up interview.” Having opted to return to Green Bay rather than attend the Buffalo Bills’ rookie minicamp, it appears to be the last step toward Elgersma signing with the Packers and joining Jordan Love, Malik Willis and Sean Clifford on the 90-man roster.

“When I met Taylor for the first time, I was obviously blown away with his size and the length of his arms and hands. He looked the part,” Neill said. “And then immediately when I met him, I could just kind of tell this guy is a quarterback. He just kind of walks like a quarterback, talks like a quarterback. Kind of an alpha leader, but also thoughtful, not super-flamboyant or over the top, just very genuine.

“And so I kind of fell in love with his intangibles pretty quickly, as well as his tangibles. And then I started watching him throw and I was like, ‘Golly, look at this guy’s arm. He’s got the arm, too.’ So, it was just kind of a quick conclusion of, ‘Man, he’s got the size, I think he’s got the intangibles and then I think he’s also got the arm.’”

The key for Neill and Elgersma was stepping on the accelerator. Hockey was Elgersma’s first sport. He didn’t start playing football until 10th grade. 

“You bring up a good point,” Neill said. “He was pretty raw but he threw it great. It’s not like he was a baby deer, but there was a lot of stuff he just wasn’t comfortable with. And there’s still some stuff that he just hasn’t done as long as other people who maybe have his same athleticism and same top-end kind of potential. They maybe have been doing this footwork or hearing this mechanical cue or playing this style of play since they were in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh grade. And he didn’t start until he was 16 years old.

“So, it was a lot of the basics. Not saying he couldn’t do the basics, but it’s just a matter of comfortability. So, a lot of the stuff, I wanted to make sure he was very confident in why he needs to try to do it this way and why he needs to be thinking this way when he’s dropping or when he’s throwing. Once he trusted that what we were saying is right, then he could just rep it, rep it, rep it, rep it, and try to make up for some of those lost reps that he didn’t get when he was a kid.”

After a big-time final season at Wilfrid Laurier in which he threw for 4,252 yards and 35 touchdowns, he got his opportunity to impress NFL scouts against better competition. First, he was MVP of the Tropical Bowl, a lower-level college all-star game. The following week, he was by far the best quarterback at the College Gridiron Showcase, another lower-level all-star game. The following week, he was added to the roster of the prestigious Senior Bowl.

That’s three offenses in three weeks.

“Honestly, as good as his measurables are, it’s intangibles that make him so attractive,” Neill said. “He’s a fast learner and he’s an authentic leader of men. He’s got this thoughtful, confident and hard-working demeanor about him that I think is really contagious. I think it fits well with football culture. He’s just a man of word and integrity. He’s a good person. He treats other people well.

“And he’s smart. He’s really smart. He can pick up stuff fast, explain X’s and O’s and remember a playbook. I can give him a play call one time and he’s going to remember it. So, it’s his intangibles to me that make him more special. There’s a lot of guys who can throw football under a strong arm and he’s definitely got that.”

With such limited experience, especially playing by U.S. rules and against higher-level competition, Elgersma’s upside is tantalizing. With arm talent and intangibles, he just needs an opportunity to continue to grow his game.

That next step in Elgersma’s path could come by the end of the weekend with the Packers.

“Hopefully, he gets a contract and gets a chance to make a team,” Neill said. “I think he’s got to get in a good situation. He’s got a follow-up interview with Green Bay. If they like him, something can happen there. If he gets in a good situation and he proves that he can win that No. 2 or No. 3 job, or maybe it’s the No. 4 practice squad guy for the first year, I think that’s what’s next for him. If he can do that, I think he’s off to the races. …

“Hopefully, if it’s Green Bay, then that’s the right spot with the right need and he actually performs when the bullets are flying.”