Scouting Jalen Hurts: a polarizing 2020 NFL Draft prospect
Critical Factors
These are the traits that are evaluated on every prospect regardless of position.
Athletic Ability- Hurts is a very good athlete at the quarterback position. He plays with a good combination of very good quickness, explosiveness, and agility along with good balance. He especially shows his explosiveness in the open field as a runner where he can run away from most defenders. He also shows very good agility and change of direction skills to make defenders miss in the open field.
Mental Processing- This is one of the areas that Jalen Hurts could stand to improve in the most. He does show a solid ability to read and diagnose defenses pre-snap. That being said, he can be slow to get through his progressions and will stare down his receivers too long at times. He shows solid ability to anticipate throws and throw his receivers open but doesn’t do it as consistently as you would like.
Competitive Toughness- It’s no secret that Jalen Hurts is one of the most competitive athletes in football. He is an excellent leader who never gets too high or too low no matter the game situation. He almost relishes the chance to bring his team back from a big deficit. Hurts also shows good determination and is nearly impossible to stop near the goalline as a runner. He also proves his work ethic by hitting the weight room immediately after a game despite a great performance by him and his team:
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1178058520647929857
Play Speed- Hurts shows much better play speed on tape than anticipated. He is shows good ability to beat the defense to the edge and turn the play upfield for a big gain on read-option type of plays. He also shows good speed in the open field to run away from most defenders.
Play Strength- Play strength is where Jalen Hurts really separates himself from most other quarterbacks. In fact, he competed as a powerlifter in high school and brings that strength to the field consistently. He is a very tough player to bring down on first contact in the pocket or as a runner. He also shows good power to push the pile in short-yardage situations or run over and drag multiple defenders as a rusher. Hurts is arguably the strongest and most powerful quarterback to come through the draft since at least Cam Newton.