NFL News: Eagles Coach Doug Pederson Explains Why Team Drafted QB Jalen Hurts In Second Round
On the second night of the 2020 NFL Draft on Friday, the Philadelphia Eagles made what was arguably one of the more surprising selections of the year, using their No. 53 overall pick on Jalen Hurts. Despite having Carson Wentz — a highly regarded quarterback who, at 27, is seemingly in the prime of his career — the team chose the former Oklahoma Sooners signal-caller, leading to speculation as to why the team used a relatively high draft pick on a possible No. 2 QB. This, however, was addressed by Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, who explained the rationale behind the controversial selection.
As quoted by NBC Sports Philadelphia, Pederson told reporters that the Eagles went with Hurts as their second-round pick partly because of his “unique” skill set and the potential that he could soon play a similar role to that of New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Taysom Hill. Although he only totaled 55 passing yards for the Saints in the 2019 season, Hill largely served as a utility man, tallying 156 rushing yards and 234 receiving yards for the team.
“I want to make a point here: First and foremost, Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback,” Pederson continued.
“He was drafted as a quarterback and he was a quarterback first. But he has a unique skillset. He’s a great runner, obviously. He throws well on the run. He has a unique set of skills that we’re going to take a look at as well as we keep developing this offseason and this advancement as we get ready for training camp.”
The @Eagles are getting an absolute winner with @JalenHurts#NFLDraft #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/jYJKLqYouM
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 25, 2020
For his part, Hurts said that he has “no idea” about what the future holds for him in Philadelphia but acknowledged that playing for the Eagles is a “great opportunity” that he’s looking forward to.
In its analysis of Pederson’s comments about Hurts, NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote that the Eagles made a “peculiar” move by picking him so high. The outlet pointed out that the comparisons to Hill don’t hold much water, as the Brigham Young University product entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Hurts, on the other hand, was picked in the second round — a point in the draft where teams generally look for instant contributors, as opposed to “developmental” projects.
Separately, PhillyVoice speculated that the Eagles may have had other reasons for picking Hurts, including Wentz’s injury history and the team’s lack of a solid No. 2 option. Last season, the second and the third spots on the Eagles’ QB depth chart were respectively held by 40-year-old Josh McCown, who is currently a free agent, and Nate Sudfeld, who “hasn’t proven anything” so far in the league.
The Eagles weren’t the only team that surprised observers by using an early pick in this year’s draft on a quarterback. In the first round on Thursday, the Green Bay Packers went with former Utah State star Jordan Love at No. 26 overall, in a move that was supposedly done without informing the team’s longtime starting quarterback, two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers.
