Coming off of night one where the Dallas Cowboys took CeeDee Lamb, the Philadelphia Eagles were on course to double-dip. Then, at the 53rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles swerved. Wide receivers disappeared off of the board, but there were still players worth selecting at that position. Instead, Philadelphia selected quarterback Jalen Hurts. In the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected a backup to Carson Wentz.
Projected to be a backup with potential to start, Jalen Hurts will battle Nate Sudfeld for the backup quarterback role. Carson Wentz was handed the keys to the Philadelphia Eagles, but Nick Foles and Josh McCown were called upon. The idea here is to have an insurance policy for Wentz. There is not an opportunity that Hurts battles Wentz for a starting role.
Jalen Hurts ran a 4.59 40-yard and carries a 35″ vertical and a 125″ broad jump. He is an athletic specimen. Hurts could be used in specific packages and trick plays, so the playbook does open. Bringing Alabama to two consecutive National Championship games, Hurts was replaced by Tua Tagovailoa. This is when Hurts brought his talents to Oklahoma.
An NFL comparison is Tim Tebow. He is a dual-threat quarterback, but I worry about his passing efficiency at the NFL level. If there is a team that can develop a quarterback like Jalen Hurts, it is the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a run-first quarterback with a cannon arm, but passing mechanics, pocket awareness, and accuracy are weaknesses. Hurts is a leader, tough, and is capable in RPO offense tempos, which the Eagles use.
Statistical Deep Dive
His best season was with Oklahoma in 2019. In 2019, he threw for the highest amount of yards in his college career (3,851) with a 69% completion rate and his best touchdown to interception ratio (32:8). Hurts also ran for 1,298 yards.
Eagles Fit
A lot of us figured the Philadelphia Eagles would take a quarterback in the fifth or sixth round. This is abnormally early and has caught everyone off guard. The fit is that he is an insurance policy for Carson Wentz or maybe a trade asset. Howie Roseman likes taking a quarterback every draft, but this early is a big leap from settling on Clayton Thorson last season. This could be a receipt to make sure the Eagles get a quarterback as they wanted with Easton Stick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
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