Two years ago, Baker Mayfield became the first former walk-on to be selected first overall in the NFL Draft. Last year, Kyler Murray went from a future pro baseball player who also happened to be pretty good at football to the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. And this year, Jalen Hurts went from the guy who was benched for Tua Tagovailoa on the biggest stage in college football to a likely Day 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
I think Lincoln Riley might be good at his job.
For a lot of football fans, Jalen Hurts’ name immediately stirs up memories of that famous national title game, when Tagovailoa came in at halftime and saved the day for Alabama after Hurts struggled to get anything going in the first two quarters. Others might remember his College Football Playoff semifinal game against LSU last season, in which he completed just 15-of-31 passes for 217 yards and zero touchdowns. Again, Hurts was granted a moment under the bright lights, and again, he faltered.
Now, just three months later, he’s one of the fastest risers in this year’s class. Betting markets have Hurts’ draft pick prop set at 62.5, suggesting he’s right on the edge between Rounds 2 and 3. He’s also one of the most divisive players in the class; some people are wooed by his incredible efficiency in his senior season at Oklahoma, while others point to an uninspiring career at Alabama and claim he was a product of a Sooner offense that artificially inflates its quarterback’s numbers.
With the draft right around the corner, let’s look at what you can expect from Hurts in the pros.