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With the 53rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles ignored positions of need like a defensive back, linebacker and wide receiver and drafted Jalen Hurts, a quarterback from Oklahoma.
Before getting into the cons of this pick let’s look on the bright side. Jalen Hurts is a winner, plain and simple. Whether he’s a product of the systems at Alabama or Oklahoma, he quarterbacked teams to the College Football Playoff each year of his collegiate career (with the exception of his junior year where he was the back-up to Tua Tagovailoa, but led a comeback victory in the SEC title game.)
He’s a dual-threat guy who threw for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions to the tune of a 69.7 completion rate in 2019; he added 1,298 yards rushing with 20 touchdowns. Hurts was must-watch TV in college, a human-highlight reel every time he took the field.
On the surface, the quarterback isn’t a position the Eagles needed to address this early in the draft. With Carson Wentz locked into a long-term deal, coming off a season where he willed a team of back-up skill players to the playoffs, adding a quarterback this early is a head-scratcher, to say the least.
The only logical explanation, at this point in time, comes from 94.1 WIP midday host Joe DeCamara who shared this stat:
Eagles needed to go to a backup QB or chose to go to a backup QB in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 & 2019. Won the SUPER BOWL that way. I’M A HUGE BELIEVER IN PRIORITIZING BACKUP QB SPOT
— Joe DeCamara (@JoeDeCamara) April 25, 2020
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When it’s put that way, yes, it makes sense to prioritize a back-up quarterback. On the other hand, using the 53rd pick to address the back-up quarterback when players who could fill positions of need were available is a poor use of the franchise’s resources.
Jalen Hurts was a fantastic college football player, a runner-up to Joe Burrow for the 2019 Heisman Trophy, but he’s far from a finished product. He needs to further develop his game, in a time where rookie minicamps and install periods will be slowed down due to COVID-19 a player like Nate Sudfeld could be better suited to serve as a back-up in 2020 because of his familiarity with Doug Pederson’s system.
While Hurts could be a dynamic back-up that could step in and do great things for the franchise, this pick may leave more questions than answers.