Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley joined NFL this morning (May 8) to discuss the upcoming Sooners football season and he also addressed the comparisons being made between New Orleans Saints Swizz Army knife Taysom Hill — who has five times more rushing attempts than passing attempts in his NFL career — and Jalen Hurts who is an official throwing quarterback with dual-set skills.
“I think a little bit of those opinions are from some people who haven’t really studied Jalen,” said Riley, who coached two Heisman winning quarterbacks before Jalen came to him for his senior season.
”His production…if you really watched the tape… and when you see (the tape) you’re going to see a guy who had one of the most efficient passing seasons in the history of college football.”
Hurts, one of just three FBS players with 50+ offensive TDs in 2019, was selected by Philly with the 53rd pick of the second round after throwing for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions during his senior season at Oklahoma and lead the Sooners to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
“Taysom is a great football player,” Riley noted. “I think there are similarities in that these guys can do a lot of things but nothing against Taysom Hill but I do believe that Philadelphia and a lot of the other teams that were interested in Jalen are looking at him purely as a QB. Excited about his winning attitude and bringing a very versatile skill set in.”
Hurts’ selection ignited a firestorm of opinion from the sports Twittersphere. Carson Wentz is considered Philly’s franchise quarterback and one of the best gunslingers in the NFL — when he’s healthy. Unfortunately, Wentz has had trouble staying on the field (just say it…he’s injury prone) and once everyone put the emotions aside and really thought about it from a business and personnel perspective, drafting Hurts was a steal.
Riley feels like Hurts landed in a great situation, regardless of his initial role as a backup.
“I’m glad he’ll get to work with a guy like Doug Peterson… who will develop him and utilize him in creative ways,” said Riley. Hurts’ former college coach, Nick Saban agrees.
When the football season does get rolling, it’s going to be very interesting in Philly. If you’ve ever listened to a Jalen Hurts interview or are familiar with his triumphs and tragedies at Alabama and the way he handled those situations, then you know he’s going into Philly to try to win the job. Don’t understate the profound effect he will have on the locker room. If Wentz’ leadership is not on 100, the team will inevitably gravitate to Hurts.
