When you look at the Eagles roster at first glance they had some glaring needs at multiple positions that never quite got filled. Heading into the second round they had addressed one need, by selecting Jalen Reagor to become the future at WR. Then in the second round they still had obvious needs at backup running back, starting LB, and had some concerns with their depth at quarterback being that the top two players on their depth chart are coming off of injury in 2019. They had players they liked at LB available in the second round but not that they viewed as a second round value. So they addressed two other needs with one pick by selecting Jalen Hurts. Hurts is a QB by trade but this is a guy who stands 6'1 222 lbs, who may have been one of the most accomplished runners in the draft as well. In 4 seasons in college Jalen carried the ball a whopping 614 times for 3,274 yards, or 5.3 yards per carry, and 43 tds. Yes you read that right. 43 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 5 passes for 40 yards and 1 td.
Looking back to the offseason we had noticeable loss of depth at running back. Gone are Jordan Howard, Darren Sproles, and Corey Clement. With exactly no one brought in to replace their production. So is this where Hurts truly fits on this roster at least at first? As their best option on short yardage and goal line carries? His only competition for that title is Elijah Holyfield who has been a practice squad player up until late last season when the three players mentioned above were inactive. With all of this considered you do start to see a role for this guy who has a nose for the endzone as a runner. He may never surpass the 3rd qb spot on the depth chart, but if he can be a sort of change of pace runner to take a pounding off of Miles Sanders, and provide value as a gadget player in an offense that now has more offensive minds than ever to develop this man a role, then I am on board with the pick.
Honestly Jalen Hurts could eventually be the first guy we point to as a new wave of truly hybrid quarterbacks begin to be drafted as NFL squads start to look at the way Taysom Hill has been utilized. If Philadelphia manages to get enough value that people dont consider Hurts a bust this will begin a whole new trend. With the quarterback gurus around him, they can develop him as a passer while allowing his athleticism to take over in his other roles. If anyone is questioning his ability to grasp multiple roles in the NFL they likely dont know much about his background.
Jalen Hurts is the middle of 3 sons to a father who is the head coach of the high school his boys attended. His oldest son became a coach after graduating high school as well while the younger two sons both playing quarterback in college. Basically I am trying to portray the message that this family lives and breathes football. He should have no issue grasping the responsibilities of any role he is asked to play even if it includes games where he lines up at QB, WR, RB, and TE. His athletic profile lends itself to a guy who has a chance to run, catch, return and throw the ball. The 220 LB QB ran a 4.59 40 yard dash, jumped to a 35 inch vertical, and had a 125 inch broad jump. At 2 inches taller, and 10 lbs heavier Hurts ran only .1 second slower in the 40, and managed to nearly match his numbers in the other tests. To further blow your mind Hurts actually carried the ball twice as much in college as Sanders, and still averaged just .3 yards per carry less than Sanders. He also managed to put up 31 more rushing touchdowns than Sanders. So even with a full NFL season under his belt, Hurts still has more experience as a runner than Sanders. I know it's from the qb spot and not as a running back but having vision, and burst translates regardless where you line up. Hurts is arguably the perfect compliment to Sanders in the backfield, and could open up some very advantageous qb draw options in short yardage situations.
I for one am beginning to get excited to see Hurts in our offense assuming they truly use him as a hybrid player. Press Taylor was asked about the future of NFL offenses and his comments were brushed off at the time but after spending the 53rd overall pick on Hurts they seem extremely relevant. Taylor said something to the effect of seeing another player that can throw the ball outside of your starting qb lining up in the offense to add another threat to the defense. Imagine a jet sweep where the defense has to react to the ability of the guy taking the sweep only for him to stop, square up and fire a 50-60 yard bomb against a defense all coming up to attack the run. Except instead of a running back or WR throwing the ball you have a guy who was a starting qb at Alabama, and Oklahoma and actually has to be respected as a passer on plays like these. We cannot undersell the creativity of Press Taylor who ascended to coordinator after championing the Philly Special where Trey Burton and NFL tight end with quarterback in his background threw a td pass to QB Nick Foles to win the Super Bowl, Marty Morhinweig who oversaw mobile quarterbacks in Donovan McNabb, Mike Vick, Lamar Jackson, and RGIII, he helped Lamar Jackson to a solid rookie campaign using a lot of offensive concepts most coaches wouldn't touch, Rich Scangarello is essentially an expert on rolling the qb out and moving the pocket, which will only further open up options for Hurts in our offense. You can see where I am going with this. Hurts could turn out to be a bust or he could further revolutionize NFL offense as we know it, all thanks to Taysom Hill the man who managed to garner a 2 year $22 million max deal as a third string qb and gadget player paving the way for guys like Hurts.
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