The Philadelphia Eagles seem to be sold on QB Jalen Hurts. Does this mean they will pass on a quarterback with all three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft?
It’s not often that a team gets to be in a situation like the Philadelphia Eagles. Though they were humiliated in the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles showed that they showed that they might not be that far away from being competitive again.
The Eagles have a whopping three first-round picks in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. Typically, when a team has this much elite draft capital, it means that they have been ‘cleaning house’ and ditching quality players for a chance to win in the future.
However, after executing a trade with the Colts to send QB Carson Wentz to Indianapolis last offseason, the Eagles got the opportunity to move back in the draft and acquire an additional first-round pick when the Miami Dolphins moved up for WR Jaylen Waddle last April.
Most teams would kill to be in the situation the Eagles are in right now. With a plethora of draft capital at their disposal as a team that still made the playoffs this year, they seem to be set up pretty well.
The biggest question for Eagles fans this offseason is whether or not they would use one of their three first-round picks to address the quarterback position. However, a recent report from Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks suggests that Philadelphia views Jalen Hurts as their franchise QB:
This may or may not have been the response Eagles fans were hoping for, and I’m willing to bet that reactions were split on this decision. By all intensive purposes, it appears that the Eagles will forego the QB position early in the NFL Draft. Is this the right move?
Should the Eagles spend a top pick on QB in the 2022 NFL Draft?
According to Tankathon’s draft order, the Eagles own the 15th, 16th, and 19th overall selections in the 2022 NFL Draft. A smart team could do some brilliant things with this type of capital. Regardless of the report, fans have to wonder if Philadelphia should spend one of their three first-round picks on a quarterback this year.
Jalen Hurts did enough to get his team to a 9-8 record on the NFL’s new 17-game schedule this year. However, he didn’t exactly go above and beyond. While he is a threat to take off and run with the football (784 rushing yards on 5.6 yards per carry), Hurts was modest as a passer — earning just 16 touchdowns and 9 interceptions on the season for an 87.2 passer rating (22nd in the NFL).
While I’m not ready to give up on Hurts, you have to wonder if they might be able to upgrade the position with one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. Obviously, with the type of capital the Eagles possess, they can get anyone they want. However, it seems like a safe bet that maybe all but one quarterback is available when they are on the clock with back-to-back picks 15 and 16 overall.
Players like Matt Corral and Kenny Pickett could offer some intrigue here. If the team decides to go this direction, they could always choose to put Hurts on the trade block later on if they like what they see. Hurts might be able to fetch a second-rounder for the following draft.
It’s hard to say what the right or wrong choice is this early in the process, but it seems a bit premature to me if the Philadelphia Eagles are already taking QB off their board for the 2022 NFL Draft. It’s important to leave all their options open as they go through the evaluation process.