Calm Down, The Eagles Have a Plan For Jalen Hurts

Overtime Heroics Editorial

1253 days ago

It’s 9:02 pm EST, and the Philadelphia Eagles have just taken Jalen Hurts with the 53rd pick. Eagles Twitter is set into a rage about how terrible this pick is. “Oh, Howie Roseman can’t draft. Oh, he’s going to be a backup.” Stop. Clearly, the Eagles have different plans for how they can use this pick. I may be the only one, but as an Eagles fan, I love the pick.

Look at Taysom Hill:

Let’s start by talking about Taysom Hill. He may not have a set position, but he contributes to the Saints in many different ways. On various occasions, he has played running back, wide receiver, quarterback, and even special teams for the Saints. His versatility creates defensive matchup nightmares and helps the Saints win games.

Hurts In the Run Game:

While likely not a special teamer, the Eagles can use Jalen Hurts in the run game. Last season as a quarterback at Oklahoma, Hurts carried it himself 233 times for 1298 yards and 20 touchdowns on 5.6 YPC. Like, come on. He only threw 340 passes. There’s no reason that Hurts can’t be heavily utilized in the run game. While he rarely did it in college, it’s possible Hurts will be able to catch the ball as well. Last season, Hurts caught his first touchdown pass at the college level. Sure it’s a small sample size, but the Eagles can develop him. Plus, he can’t be much worse than their current receiving corps.

Backup Quarterback:

While it may get overblown at times, indeed, Carson Wentz hasn’t always been able to stay on the field. With Josh McCown likely retiring, the Eagles needed a backup quarterback. Now I know what you Eagles fan are thinking: why find one in the second round? Let me ask you, would you really feel great putting a fourth or fifth-round pick in at quarterback if Wentz gets hurt next season? I wouldn’t. While it hasn’t always been pretty, Jalen Hurts has shown what he can do in college and played in big games. If Carson Wentz gets hurt, Jalen Hurts is a better option to use at quarterback than Nate Sudfeld.

I’m not here to say this will be the best pick in the draft, but that doesn’t mean Jalen Hurts doesn’t bring any value. Doug Pederson can utilize Hurts in the run game, and maybe even the passing game as a Taysom Hill type of player. Calm down Eagles fans; there’s definite room for upside here.

Follow me on Twitter @PodolskyDanny

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