The Jalen Hurts Manifesto: Why It Was The Worst Pick in Eagles Franchise History
There have been many cases in Philadelphia sports history where the initial reaction to a draft pick has elicited anger or confusion. After some time to process it, the reasoning behind the pick starts to make sense. Sam Hinkie trading Jrue Holiday on draft night for a future pick comes to mind. But, a day later, last night’s decision to select Jalen Hurts is still as frustrating as it is deflating. Young quarterbacks around the league like Drew Lock, Lamar Jackson and of course Dak Prescott all got legitimate help in at the skill positions during the 2020 draft. Carson Wentz got undermined, and left out to dry.
Here is every single reason in detail why drafting Jalen Hurts’ in the 2nd Round was the worst pick in franchise history, one that could have negative repercussions for years to come.
The move undermines Carson Wentz as the leader of the Eagles:
The Eagles let Nick Foles walk. That same offseason, they signed Carson to an extension worth up to $137 million. This offseason, they let guys like Malcolm Jenkins walk because they wanted to allegedly make it clear who the leader of the team was: Carson Wentz. With one overreach in the 2nd round, they’ve ruined all the work they put in to show Carson is the Alpha. With every incomplete pass to an unqualified, underachieving wide receiver, fans will be calling for Hurts to replace Wentz.
With the opportunity to get Carson Wentz help, they got him a useless back-up:
At the end of last year, the Broncos decided Drew Lock was going to be their guy at QB. He had taken over for Joe Flacco and given the time some juice. This offseason, they committed to helping him. They signed Melvin Gordon in free agency. Their first two picks in the draft were wide receiver (Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler) to pair with emerging star, Courtland Sutton. The Broncos have done a phenomenal job in surrounding their young quarterback with as many weapons as possible. If Lock fails, it’s likely because he just isn’t a good quarterback. In what was a disastrous season for Eagles at receiver, they had the same opportunity as the Broncos. Instead they got their quarterback some useless back up. The issue is magnified when you think, the Eagles could have likely sacrificed pick 53 to trade up for Cee Dee Lamb. The ultimate piece for to aid Carson. They used the pick on Hurts instead.
There were plenty of needs that needed to be addressed, and the Eagles didn’t even go BPA:
Receiver was a desperate need for the Eagles and everyone in the league knew it. They almost had to go receiver at pick 21, even if a receiver wasn’t the best player available. But, other needs certainly exist as the plan for the offseason was to get younger. Start looking at some of the players drafted after Jalen Hurts that would have helped this team. Matt Hennessy, the Center from Temple went at pick 60. As Jason Kelce very evidently is coming to the close of his career, his replacement is needed, and soon. They go Hurts over Hennessy. Receiver need was so desperate; they could have double dipped in the 2nd by adding Denzel Mims. They took Hurts, and Mims was gone 5 picks later. Even if they didn’t even draft need, they ignored linebacker depth, they didn’t get receiver help, and they thought Jason Kelce had a few years left…they STILL didn’t even take the best player available. Not a single other quarterback was taken last night. If they really wanted Hurts, they could have likely taken him with their third round comp pick. It still wouldn’t have made sense but it would have hurt slightly less.
Why are you drafting a quarterback in the 2020 offseason?
Cam Newton is just walking out there is a free agent. They could have had a former MVP for next to nothing, wouldn’t have needed a single pick for it. Part of their explanation for wanting Jalen Hurts was his mobility. Cam Newton has had a few runs or two if I recall. In an offseason with rare exorbitant options for back-up quarterbacks, the Eagles used a second round pick on one.
If you say the name Taysom Hill, you should do prison time:
Comparing Jalen Hurts to Taysom Hill is illogical for so many reasons. Firstly, Hill was not even drafted. So, if you wanted a gimmick guy like Hill is for the Saints, you clearly overpaid. Drafting a “gimmick guy” at all is a waste but drafting one in the second round is one of the biggest reaches of all time. Another reason the “gimmick guy” shtick works for the Saints is because of how well they’ve built the rest of their roster. In the 2017 draft, they hit on every single pick and they are reaping the benefits now. It’s a team that may always choke in the playoffs, but they are still always in the playoffs. Their quarterback is also 40 years old, not 27 like Wentz. NOTHING about turning Hurts into the Eagles version of Taysom Hill makes sense at all, and it certainly doesn’t make sense at pick 53 to make it happen.
The only theory that makes sense for drafting Jalen Hurts is Carson Wentz retiring early, and even then it still doesn’t make sense:
I am now genuinely concerned the Eagles think/know they will end up with an Andrew Luck retirement situation with Carson Wentz. It would be surprising not shocking. He clearly has other aspirations that aren’t football, and of course he’s had injury issues as well. But even in the case that Wentz would retire early, drafting Hurts as his replacement still doesn’t make sense. It would likely be years until the Eagles would need an heir apparent to Wentz and they’d have to make a contract extension decision on Hurts without ever really seeing him in a starting role.
Becoming a quarterback factory is not a thing that an NFL franchise needs to do:
Howie Roseman explained the move as valuing the quarterback position over all else. He and Doug Pederson view the Eagles as a “quarterback factory”. What are you doing, running a dynasty on the video game NCAA 14? What do you need to be a quarterback factory for? Also, if you’re such a factory of good QB play, why has Nate Sudfeld never been able to assume the back-up role? Don’t even get me started on Clayton Thorson, who didn’t even make it out of training camp at the Quarterback Factory.
How does this move help anyone? The Eagles? Carson Wentz? Or even, Jalen Hurts himself?
This is the question that needs to be asked to Howie Roseman more than anything. This move did not help the Eagles get closer to winning another Super Bowl. It did not help Carson Wentz, the franchise cornerstone you drafted 2nd overall and committed $125 million to. And most importantly, it doesn’t help Jalen Hurts. He will not be in a position here where he can compete for a starting role. He will waste away his prime years as a back-up and he’s already 24. You have put him in a positon where no one in the fan base is rooting for his success. If Jalen Hurts is productive as a member of the Eagles, it’s a huge red flag that something went wrong with your franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz. And if Hurts is thrown in to action, the ceiling for expectations will be impossibly high. Since they reached on drafting him, he will be thrust into a situation where he has to be perfect. If he was the perfect quarterback, he wouldn’t have had his starting role taken by a true freshman in college. You have put this poor kid in a no win situation. The best case scenario for the Eagles and their future success is never having to see Jalen Hurts on the field.
So, there you have it. Al Horford is longer the dumbest acquisition in Philadelphia sports currently. Like anyone who has made it 1,350 words so far into this, you love the Eagles like I do. And you probably feel like I do, deflated in April for a season that may not even begin on time in September.