NFL Execs Weigh in on Jalen Hurts Pick

You didn't really think you were going to get through a day without some Jalen Hurts talk, did you?

The latest takes are a little more meaningful, however, as long-time national reporter Mike Sando, now of The Athletic, was able to tap into his vast network to see how the rest of the league thought of the Eagles' controversial selection with the No. 53 overall pick.

As you might expect, it was a mixed bag.

“The biggest problem with something like that is the message it sends to people who like to crush Carson Wentz,” one executive surmised pointing to the narratives that have already bogged the Philadelphia franchise quarterback down at times. “That is a tough media market, so it sends a really weird message."

That said, the executive also pointed to the pragmatic part of the decision.

"If you think about it, Carson Wentz has been hurt every year of his career," he said. "The backup quarterback is an important position, but to them it is critical because that person is going to have to come in and win you a couple of games. I don’t think it’s all that crazy.”

Another personnel executive who spoke to Sando disliked the Taysom Hill takes that have been en vogue since SI.com asked Doug Pederson about those types of schemes and packages the night the Eagles selected Hurts.

“What they are expecting is to maybe get the Taysom Hill contributions but I don’t think this kid is ready to do that,” the evaluator said. “He’s fast, but he is not 4.4. Taysom Hill fast and he is not 220 (pounds) like Taysom Hill. People do not realize how legitimately big and fast and strong that guy is. This seemed like a luxury pick and too early to do that.”

A third liked the potential of more varied packages and the stress it could put on opposing defenses.

“Whether it is New Orleans with Taysom or Miami with the Wildcat, if you have a smaller offensive package that is easy to install, it causes a disproportionate amount of time and preparation for the opposing defense, which is a competitive advantage,” said the exec. “Do you want Jalen Hurts or do you want the backup quarterback to be a guy who was coaching high school football on Friday night (Josh McCown)?"

Those weren't the only two options, however. Jameis Winston recently signed a cheap deal to back up Drew Brees in New Orleans and Andy Dalton is now on the street as expected.

“If Carson goes down, are you really going to win a lot of games with Jalen?” said another executive. “Would he win you more games than just a regular veteran backup would? I don’t know.”

John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, Every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio, and every weekday on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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