Jalen Hurts crushes it at OU's Pro Day
NORMAN — This was Jalen Hurts’ big day.
Like walking into a job interview and crushing it, like stepping to the plate and hitting a home run, like sitting down at the tables and drawing blackjack, the former Alabama-turned-Oklahoma quarterback lit up Pro Day on Wednesday inside Oklahoma’s Everest Training Center.
“I thought he threw the ball very well. I’m not surprised,” said OU coach Lincoln Riley. “The short stuff he threw was really good, threw some really nice deep balls. I was excited about how he threw his intermediate balls. Had several deep crossing routes that were scripted into the workout and threw those with conviction. Led the guys well, did a lot of backfield actions, footwork, under center, play actions. Looked comfortable, smooth.”
Hurts threw it as sharp as he ever has. Both Nick Basquine and Lee Morris, who spent last fall catching footballs from Hurts on Owen Field and on Wednesday caught his passes in the Everest, said the work Hurts has put in refining his throwing motion was evident.
“You could just see a lot of improvement from his training,” Basquine said. “Just the confidence he has in himself, the throwing mechanics, everything like that. You could see an improved player.”
“He’s improved over these past, what, three or four months,” said Morris. “And it showed here today — and also at the combine. So, I mean, I’m impressed with him. I’m happy for him.”
And what of Hurts' top target? CeeDee Lamb also had a good day of drills, showing breakaway speed, uncanny agility and hands like spider webs. What did Lamb think of the new Hurts?
“What’d you think of it?” Lamb echoed. “I feel like he dropped a couple balls on the money. I feel like he had a pretty good day.”
Lamb actually saw Hurts improve throughout the 2019 football season.
“Him understanding the game, understanding more coverages, different types of balls he could throw,” Lamb said. “Just him being a better quarterback throughout the season.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is Hurts’ interactions in front of the camera. A great pro day? A great combine? What’s that?
“Sounds like that rat poison stuff I used to talk about,” Hurts said. “I can’t get comfortable. I never will get comfortable. Enough isn’t enough even after today, even after the combine. I’m just taking steps and getting better. Next time I get an opportunity to throw it’ll just be me, myself and I and whoever’s catching. We’ll get work in and try to get better that day.”
Morris identified some specific areas where he thinks Hurts is better now.
“Just placement of the ball,” Morris said. “Where it’s going. That and leading his receivers. Sometimes we had to kind of stop for the ball (before). He led us more consistently this time.”
Riley reiterated that he wasn’t surprised by Hurts’ polished accuracy, smoother release and tighter spiral.
“He threw it well,” Riley said. “It wasn’t surprising to me. Did he throw it a lot different than he did for us? I don’t think so. I just think he threw it well. I thought it was a good clean day and well scripted workout. He just continues to get better and better as a player. He’ll continue to take steps.”
Hurts returned to Norman earlier this week after training in Atlanta. Lamb, Basquine and Morris trained elsewhere. That Hurts completed an estimated 63-of-72 throws on the day with a group and a script he’d only worked with for two days illustrates his improvements.
“Those workouts are difficult,” Riley said. “It’s not like these guys have been sitting there working together the past few months to get ready for this. They train, get ready for the combine. A lot of these guys are off at different sites all over the country. They come together here and work for about two days on this, and then we put them on display. I thought Jalen and those receivers all did a nice job.”
Hurts spent a prolonged period of time with the New York Giants between his workout and his press conference. Fans should avoid reading too much into that — the Giants also took up a lot of Kyler Murray’s time last year and ended up with a first-round quarterback in Daniel Jones — but Hurts said, as a coach’s kid and lifelong quarterback, he has enjoyed the meetings with coaches, scouts and GMs.
Wednesday’s Pro Day included 55 personnel from 30 NFL teams. Attendance at OU isn’t just because the players are usually in demand. The program has become renowned as one of the best-run Pro Days in the country, and that’s a bit of a reflection on how Hurts grew as a quarterback during his time in Norman.
“I think it was a great opportunity for me,” Hurts said. “Let alone for the guys to be receptive of me, for them to take me along and allow me to lead them, that was something that was earned not given. Coming here, coming where I came from there was a lot of hype around it. Just to come here and have the great run we had, to be able to cement myself here [after] two previous first picks of the draft, two Heisman Trophy winners, cement myself at two of the best schools in the country is unique and unprecedented, like I’ve always said.”
