Jalen Hurts is one of the most accomplished college quarterbacks of his generation and has starred for two powerhous programs in Alabama and Oklahoma, But he’s still not getting respect as the NFL Draft boards start to take shape.
Names like Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jake Fromm are considered better pro prospects at this point for whatever reason.
This kind of disrespect isn’t uncommon for an African-American dual threat QB. Russell Wilson dropped to the third round. Deshaun Watson was dissed for Mitchell Trubisky and Lamar Jackson was told that he should switch to wide receiver before throwing for an NFL-leading 36 touchdowns this season and breaking Michael Vick’s rushing record with Baltimore.
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If you check the stats, Hurts has the resume to be considered a Top 3 NFL Draft pick.
On Monday, LSU star K’Lavon Chaisson drove home that point by listing Hurts’ incredible track record and calling the Sooners QB “by far the most disrespected QB in college football history.”
https://twitter.com/S4CKGURU/status/1211524969764704256
Despite his success, Hurts is projected as a midround prospect. But with an invite to the Senior Bowl and workouts at both the combine and Sooners’ pro day ahead, he has plenty of time to rise up the Draft like Kyler Murray did.
If Josh Allen can lead an NFL team, then Jalen Hurts who rushed for 3,231 over four college seasons can. Hurts is everything the NFL wants in a quarterback. He can move, he can throw, he’s honorable, he wins and he commands the respect of his teammates and coaches.
The leadership, class and unselfishness he exhibited when he was benched in the middle of a National Championship game, told us everything we needed to know about Hurt that the numbers might not tell us. Freshman Tua Tagovailoa came out of the woodwork and stole Hurts’ moment.
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Then, the Heisman candidate was pulled into a fake battle for his job the following Spring. Everyone knew that Nick Saban was going to start Tua, the toast of the town. The entire situation was messy and it seems like Hurts was getting the raw end of the deal again.
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Instead of wallowing in the drama of a lost situation, Hurts didn’t have time to feel disrespected and took his talents to Oklahoma where, if anything, he certainly didn’t Hurt his Draft stock. He masterfully executed Lincoln Riley’s vaunted offense that has garnered Murray and Baker Mayfield Heisman trophies the two previous seasons The Sooners were in National title contention before losing in the College Football Playoffs to LSU.
Sometimes, a player is so talented that people undervalue what he does because they expect him to be over-the-top sensational all the time. Or maybe the Black QB takeover in the NFL hasn’t made them believers yet.
Hurts has proved he can ball and he can win, yet there are still doubts about his passing ability (sounds familiar?) and his ability to make every throw at the NFL level. It appears that Hurts will be the next Black quarterback to drop in the Draft and then make some GM look like a genius when he proves teams wrong in the NFL.
As much as things have changed with the explosion of Black dual-threat NFL QBs, when Draft time rolls around we see how some things inevitably remain the same.
