Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Get Screwed: Not On Top-50 List?
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of the top signal-callers in the league following his MVP-caliber season. Hurts led the Eagles to a fine 14-3 record and had them a defensive holding penalty away from winning the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy.
Hurts' NFL peers certainly see him as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, as revealed by ESPN, who had him as the sixth-best.
That ranking of the No. 6 overall quarterback came from their conversations with NFL executives, scouts, coaches, and even players. Yet, the ranking of Hurts via Pro Football Focus doesn't see it the same way. Instead, in their top-50 NFL players list, which included six quarterbacks, none of whom were named Hurts.
Who are the quarterbacks that PFF grades higher than Hurts? Patrick Mahomes (No. 1), Joe Burrow (No. 10), Josh Allen (No. 12), Justin Herbert (No. 35), Lamar Jackson (No. 41), Aaron Rodgers (No. 45).
Mahomes, Burrow, and Allen are understandable and may not draw much if any, backlash from Eagles fans. Yet, Herbert, Jackson, and Rodgers, specifically the New York Jets quarterback, will net PFF criticism.
Rodgers is coming off a season where he and the Green Bay Packers missed out on the playoffs entirely while seeing a dip in his numbers from the past two seasons. No, Rodgers will not play at an MVP level forever, but after throwing for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions last season, it is hard to deny Hurts had a better year and a brighter future.
Hurts is coming off the best season of his career, scoring a total of 35 touchdowns, 22 of them through the air, while getting another 13 with his legs. Not only did he put the ball in the end zone, but he also picked up 4,461 total yards. If the rankings are based on last season alone, then Hurts should be above Rodgers.
What about Jackson? The Ravens quarterback played in 12 games last season before a knee injury sidelined him. Yet, prior to his season-ending injury, PFF said Jackson was in the midst of his highest-graded season. Some may deem that enough to rank Jackson over Hurts, while others will not.
As for Herbert, there is a case to be made that he is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league, yet is that enough to say he should be rated above Hurts, especially after the Los Angeles Chargers blew a 27-point lead in the playoffs last season?
Herbert, as PFF notes, gritted it out with a torn rib cartilage and threw for over 4,700 yards in the regular season. It is nonetheless impressive, while also noting he had the "lowest turnover-worthy play rate (1.6%) in each of the past two seasons," PFF says. Yet, Herbert still had more interceptions (12) than Hurts did (4), yet the latter had three fewer passing touchdowns. Once again, we can say Hurts vs. Herbert is debatable. ...
But no matter how you shake it, if PFF ranks the top-50 players based on last season alone, then Hurts needs to be on that list, considering he was a finalist for the MVP award.
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