Philadelphia Eagles leave us scratching heads with Jalen Hurts selection in Round 2

The Philadelphia Eagles left fans scratching their heads as they took quarterback Jalen Hurts at No. 53 overall less than a year after extending Carson Wentz

In 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles moved up in the 2016 NFL Draft to select North Dakota quarterback Carson Wentz. While he was sidelined with an injury when they won the Super Bowl following the 2017 season, Wentz did enough to prove he’s the future of their franchise.

They showed this belief last season when Wentz was given a massive four-year, $128 million contract extension with $107 million of that being guaranteed. That was in June and now, not even one year later, they used the 53rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Clearly, they haven’t given up on Wentz which is why using a day two selection on a quarterback is so head-scratching. Sure, the potential for Hurts is there as he displayed a strong arm and put up 3,851 yards passing last season for the Sooners — after transferring from Alabama where he had lost his job to Tua Tagovailoa.

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Hurts can also be deadly with his legs, rushing 1,298 yards for Oklahoma as he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy following his fantastic 2019 campaign. However, the Eagles had needs all over the roster and back-up quarterback/gadget player wasn’t in the top five.

And for those who aren’t thinking he’s a gadget player, the analysts on ESPN immediately went to the plays being run in New Orleans for their backup Taysom Hill as an example of what Hurts can do in Philly.

Even more confusing was how ecstatic head coach Doug Pederson was when the camera cut to him. Despite needing help all over the secondary and at linebacker, Pederson was thrilled with ignoring that side of the ball and landing a guy who most likely will see the field five-to-10 snaps a game at the most. Not only that, but he also takes the ball out of the hands of the guy you just gave $107 million to.

Of course, Hurts is the ultimate teammate and won’t raise a stink about being behind Wentz. Instead, he will simply do his job, and if Wentz’s injury history continues he will come in and do what’s asked of him. The problem is, they could also be opening Pandora’s Box as a great performance from Hurts while Wentz is banged up could cause fans to question your $128 million man.

It just feels like a move that doesn’t have a lot of scenarios where it works out. And that’s usually not what you’re looking for with an early Day 2 pick.