ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

Listening to San Francisco quarterback Shaun Hill on a teleconference this week brought to mind the summer of 2002, when Hill went to training camp with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent and a distant fifth on a five-man depth chart. In front of him were Daunte Culpepper, Todd Bouman, (the infamous) Spergon Wynn, and Romero Miller -- who had finished the 2001 season as the Vikings’ No. 2 quarterback.

Shaun Hill's career Category Minnesota 2002-05 San Francisco 2006-09 Completions 0 272 Attempts 0 424 Percent 0 64.2 Yards 0 2,900 TDs 0 19 INT 0 9 Games 1 14

But Hill had an ace in his pocket: Like new Vikings coach Mike Tice, he had played quarterback at the University of Maryland. Tice mentioned it often, and what initially seemed a minor bit of trivia actually morphed into significance. I don’t think it’s the primary reason why Hill beat out Wynn and Miller for the No. 3 job, but I’m convinced it played a role. Many would-be employees need something to get their foot in the door, and Hill was no different.

“I’m sure it didn’t hurt,” Hill said. “I don’t think they would have kept me around if that was the only reason. Yeah, I think it helped. In many situations when a guy goes undrafted, in order for him to make a roster, they have to see something out of him. You have to be in the right situation and feel very fortunate in being an undrafted guy making the team.”

Had Hill played his college ball somewhere else, would he have made the team? We’ll never know. Would he have latched on anywhere had the Vikings released him seven years ago? Would he be starting Sunday for the 49ers at the Metrodome? Again, what’s done is done. But remember that Tice kept Hill as his No. 3 quarterback for four years. In those days, at least, being a Terrapin had its privileges.