One year after qualifying for the playoffs, the Giants are somehow back in the hunt after a brutal 2-8 start to the season. They have miraculously won three games in a row and sit two games out of the NFC wild-card picture with four games remaining.

Is franchise quarterback Daniel Jones finding a groove? Nope — he’s still injured. Is Saquon Barkley setting the ground on fire as a rusher? He’s been good but not over-the-top special.

The defense has turned things up a notch, forcing 12 turnovers over the three-game win streak, and the unit deserves plenty of credit. But it’s the Giants’ interim starting quarterback who has electrified the team.

MORE: Can the Giants make the playoffs amid surprise win streak?

Breakout star quarterback Tommy DeVito has swept the nation with his underdog story. The unheralded, undrafted rookie has won over the hearts of Giants fans as a New Jersey native who plays with fearlessness.

But aside from winning football games, it’s his Italian heritage, “Tommy Cutlets” nickname and the celebration hand gesture that has everyone excited.

Where did DeVito come from, and how did he get passed over in the 2023 NFL Draft? The Sporting News takes a closer look.

Tommy DeVito college stats

DeVito spent five years in college, playing four seasons at Syracuse before transferring to Illinois for his super-senior year. He tried to get a waiver for a sixth COVID year, but the NCAA denied his claim, forcing him to turn pro.

DeVito was the full-time starter in three of his five collegiate seasons — his sophomore and junior years at Syracuse in 2019 and 2020 and his fifth-year senior season at Illinois in 2022. In 2020, DeVito’s season was cut short to just four games after suffering a season-ending leg injury.

His stats don’t pop in either year as the starter, but he eclipsed 2,000 yards passing with double-digit touchdowns in each of those seasons.

Year School Class GP Pass Yds. Comp. % TD INT2018 Syracuse FR 7 525 50.6 4 32019 Syracuse SO 12 2,360 63.2 19 52020 Syracuse JR 4 593 50.0 4 22021 Syracuse JR 3 388 61.5 1 22022 Illinois SR 13 2,650 69.6 15 4Total 39 6,516 63.1 43 16

MORE: Meet Sean Stellato, Tommy DeVito’s impeccably-dressed agent known as the ‘Italian Stallion’

Tommy DeVito NFL scouting report

As a 24-year-old redshirt senior who didn’t have NFL measurables and only two college seasons as a starter, it’s not hard to believe DeVito went undrafted. But as the saying goes, “you can’t measure heart.”

DeVito was listed at 6-1, 210 pounds and didn’t receive an invite to the NFL Draft Combine. He did have a Pro Day where he logged a 10 and 1/8th-inch hand size and 4.66 40-yard dash — neither of which jumped off the page.

Hardly any site even profiled DeVito as an NFL prospect. NFL.com graded 20 QB prospects, and DeVito was not one of them.

In Pro Football Network’s prospect profile of DeVito, here were some of his strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths

• Smart passer who doesn’t put the ball in dangerous spots. Avoids turnovers and costly plays without being overly cautious.
• Strong arm is capable of delivering accurate passes 50+ yards down the field. Velocity on short and intermediate passes is solid when feet are aligned.
• Gutsy performer who will take a hit and pop back up. Has visibly positive emotional responses that can be infectious.

Areas of improvement

• Arm isn’t strong enough to overcome a breakdown in mechanics. There’s a clear wobble on passes he doesn’t drive into, which could also be a sign of having small hands.
• Lack of full-field reads limits his ability to reliably process at a high level early in his career. Neither offense he played in asked him to make complex reads.
• Doesn’t have high-end traits, likely cementing him as a developmental backup who can manage a basic offense to keep the chains moving.

Quarterbacks taken in 2023 NFL Draft

Fourteen college quarterbacks heard their names called in the 2023 NFL Draft. Not one of them was DeVito.

DeVito went undrafted after five years in college, but he is already outperforming the majority of his draft classmates.

While outliers like CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson (before his injury) and Will Levis have shined, DeVito even has more wins (3) than No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young (1). He has also played better with his unexpected opportunity than others like Aidan O’Connell, Clayton Tune, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jaren Hall have.

Below you can find all 14 QBs selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Round Pick Player Team School1 1 Bryce Young Panthers Alabama1 2 CJ Stroud Texans Ohio State1 4 Anthony Richardson Colts Florida2 33 Will Levis Titans Kentucky3 68 Hendon Hooker Lions Tennessee4 127 Jake Haener Saints Fresno State4 128 Stetson Bennett Rams Georgia4 135 Aidan O’Connell Raiders Purdue5 139 Clayton Tune Cardinals Houston5 140 Dorian Thompson-Robinson Browns UCLA5 149 Sean Clifford Packers Penn State5 164 Jaren Hall Vikings BYU6 188 Tanner McKee Eagles Stanford7 239 Max Duggan Chargers TCU