Mel Kiper: Jalen Hurts 'Red Hot Right Now,' Will Be a Second-Round Draft Pick

Mel Kiper likes Jalen Hurts. Kiper has made that clear.

But no one knew ESPN’s long-time NFL Draft analyst liked Hurts this much.

“He’s red hot right now,” Kiper said Monday during an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

“People in the league say don’t count out late first (round) for Jalen. New England sitting there at 23, they could move back into late first, early second.

“Pittsburgh could move up; (the Steelers have) a mid-second round pick. Mike Tomlin will see Joe Burrow (projected to) Cincinnati, Baker Mayfield in Cleveland and Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, all in the same division.

“Everybody I talk to says he will not get out of Round 2.”

In his latest mock draft, Kiper has Hurts going to the Steelers in the second round with the 49th overall pick.

“Coaches and scouts love Hurts' intangibles, and he improved his accuracy in his season under Lincoln Riley,” Kiper wrote. “He fits in Pittsburgh, where neither Mason Rudolph nor Devlin Hodges showed much while filling in for Ben Roethlisberger, 38, last season.”

On ESPN’s “Get Up,” Kiper said Hurts’ skill set also drew comparisons to the way Sean Payton has used Taysom Hill as a multi-threat weapon in New Orleans.

“I think all that helps, the way the league is — a copycat league — I think they see that they can have packages for Jalen Hurts as a rookie and give defensive coordinators a lot to think about,” Kiper said.

Kiper again projected Pittsburgh will take Hurts in the second round but said New England might also have an interest.

Kiper said Tua Tagovailoa is “way up there at the top” as a quarterback prospect, but said Hurts could project as a starter eventually.

“His passing skills will define that,” Kiper said. “Doesn’t always see the field the way others do, particularly Tua, I think there’s no comparison there. But the improvement at Alabama, in terms of his passing, his accuracy, and then at Oklahoma, was dramatic. I think people feel like there’s a lot to work with there. He’s a great kid, he’s a winner.

“Tua’s way up there at the top. Jalen Hurts was considered , you know, that third-, fourth-, fifth-round guy — well, guess what? He is a second-round player, and whether Pittsburgh or someone else takes him, I think that’s where he’s gonna go.”

Hurts had five different offensive coordinators and five different quarterbacks coaches in college — including Lincoln Riley his final year at OU — but improved as a passer every season.

Last year at OU, Hurts threw for 3,851 yard sand 32 touchdowns with just eight interceptions while completing 70 percent of his passes.

What might intrigue NFL teams, however, is his rushing acumen: 1,298 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns last year at OU.

The fact that Riley tutored the last two No. 1 overall picks (and Heisman winners) in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray also no doubt has teams looking deeper into Hurts.

Hurts recently met via video conference with Jerry and Stephen Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, and they came away impressed.

He also reportedly participated in a virtual meeting with representatives of the Packers and Chargers, according to NFL.com.

Hurts had an impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, delivering the football with pace and accuracy, and he did it again at his Pro Day on March 10.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks Hurts his No. 50 overall prospect going into this year’s draft, which runs April 23-25 and will be conducted via video conferencing.

WATCH HURTS’ NFL NETWORK INTERVIEW