Why Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is the biggest winner from first round of 2022 NFL Draft

Jalen Hurts may have had the best time of anyone watching the 2022 NFL Draft. Usually, a player could tune in and see what rookie or rookies will be joining their team. In this case, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was given the surprise of a lifetime when his team dealt for receiver A.J. Brown.

Hurts opened the offseason with question marks surrounding his 2022 status. The team landing Brown should mean they are giving the signal-caller a fair shot to prove himself with an elite target.

Former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski echoed this sentiment while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, which was being hosted by Ryan Leaf on that particular day.

“The winner of round one was probably Jalen Hurts. You think about it, Jalen Hurts is sitting back, watching the draft a little bit. And he sees that they acquired A.J. Brown? Automatically, that offense just got that much better. Jalen Hurts just got that much better. So to me, I was excited for the Eagles’ moves and what they did. That was kind of cool to see.”

As Gradkowski says, Hurts was sitting back, relaxing, and found out his team acquired one of the best young receivers in football. And not only that, but the Eagles immediately signed him to a $100 million deal. That makes the entire team a huge winner from the first round.

Jalen Hurts has a real shot to prove himself in 2022

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Philadelphia Eagles v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Eagles really tried to land a top receiver through the draft in recent years. Jalen Reagor was the pick in 2020, yet he couldn't even finish with 300 yards in 2020. DeVonta Smith was the pick last year, and he did well with 916 yards and five touchdowns. He is showing signs of being great, but still has a long way to go to reach Brown's level.

Brown went over 1,000 yards in both 2019 and 2020 and was on pace to do so in 2021, but had to deal with injuries that held him to 869 yards.

This is huge, not just for the quarterback, but for the Eagles as a whole. Nick Sirianni was a first-year head coach in 2021 and was still able to get the team to the postseason once he utilized a more run-first approach. Now, his quarterback has a true number one receiver for the forseeable future. That totally changes how the team can operate on offense.

The 2022 offseason has been all about wide receiver movement. It turns out the Eagles may be in the best shape of any team after finally pairing their quarterback with a top pass-catcher who is still only 24 years old.