So, it turns out that the New Orleans Saints are not the only team that can make a puzzling decision in this year’s draft. The Philadelphia Eagles stunned everyone by selecting Oklahoma quarterback prospect Jalen Hurts in the second round, who slots in as the backup for Carson Wentz.
But what if Hurts is more than a clipboard holder? It’s very possible that the Eagles are thinking he can contribute as a rookie in many of the same ways Taysom Hill has done for the Saints.
Both players are great athletes who can make plays with their legs. While Hurts is a significantly better passer at a much younger age than Hill, Wentz’s status as the franchise quarterback will probably keep Hurts from getting to drop back and pass very often.
It’s possible the Eagles plan to deploy Hurts as a blocker, runner, and gadget-play receiver on offense until his services are needed under center. After all, they did make an iconic moment with Nick Foles’ tricky touchdown couch in the Super Bowl a few years ago. Their bad receiving corps should have room for Hurts to mix it up.
But there’s no confusing the mimic for the real thing in this scenario. There’s no way the Eagles will ask Hurts to play as often on special teams as the Saints have used Hill, and it’ll take time before Hurts can pick up the nuances of route running that Hill has shown early on in his Saints career.
If anything, it’s a shame that the growth Hurts made as a passer in college is going to stall out with Wentz dominating practice reps. Hopefully he’ll get an opportunity to show his worth sooner rather than later.
