Jalen Hurts had an insane display of athleticism and strength before getting drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. He recorded an official bench-pressed for 355 pounds, had a 315-pound power clean, squatted 455 pounds, and did a broad jump of 9 feet 9 inches. The numbers were there but there were still a lot of questions for him coming into the NFL draft. While he was built like a running back and was a dual-threat quarterback, teams did not want to take on a chance and passed on him.
Hurts' arms, legs, swagger, and the relentless work ethic has made him the face of the Eagles’ franchise for forseeable future. He was ranked as the third-best player in NFL Top 100 by his peers before the start of 2023 season and it was not just because of his highlight reel. It was also because Hurts is the leader of the franchise and commands a lot of respect due to his hard work and seriousness towards the game. He can throw the football and make a run when he does not have options. Hurts is a dual-threat quarterback that puts defensive coordinators on their heels when he runs the offense.
However, 2023 went in completely opposite direction for Hurts and his team as the Eagles who started the season 10-1, went on to lose five of their last six games en route to getting streamrolled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in wild card round.
Jalen Hurts’ Draft
Hurts was drafted as the 53rd pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. It was surprising to see Hurts drafted late in the draft but the fact is no team valued Hurts in the first round. There were also many concerns regarding Jalen which included his lack of accuracy in passing, having a bad game in the biggest game of the year where Hurts was benched, and his height also possibly ruled out a few teams.
The Eagles were the only team that wanted to sign Hurts and the signing was very strange during that time as they had signed Carson Wentz to a 4 year, $128,000,000 million deal. However after time has passed, the Eagles knew what they were doing and they now have their franchise player.
Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert were all selected within the first six picks, leaving the remaining quarterbacks to fall out of the first round. This was the reason why Hurts was drafted so low but he has now become one of the best players in the NFL. He was second in the voting for NFL MVP in 2022 season. After a down year in 2023, Hurts would be looking to bounce back in 2024.
See more:- Jalen Hurts Playoff Record
FAQs On Jalen Hurts
A. He started at Alabama, winning the SEC Offensive Player of the Year award as a freshman, before transferring to Oklahoma for his senior year, leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff.
A. Hurts played for Channelview High School, Harris County, Texas.
A. Hurts was born in Houston, Texas.
