Los Angeles Chargers Set To Draft Jalen Hurts
Are the Los Angeles Chargers set to draft Jalen Hurts in the 2020 NFL Draft? Things are trending in that direction.
Up to this point, most of the quarterback hype leading into April’s big event has centered around LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Utah State’s Jordan Love.
One notable omission has been Hurts, who was a star with both Alabama and Oklahoma over the course of his collegiate career.
Fresh off a strong NFL Combine performance, many anticipate Hurts will be a Day 2 selection in the draft.
Although he lacks some of the raw skill that his contemporaries have, Hurts is widely regarded as a natural leader with the sort of intangibles that simply cannot be caught. Many envision him carving out a role for himself in the NFL akin to what Taysom Hill has done with the New Orleans Saints.
Over the course of his final collegiate season with Oklahoma, Hurts threw for 32 touchdowns and 3,851 yards. Beyond that, he also recorded 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
So where will he ultimately end up? According to Benjamin Allbright, a Pro Football Network insider, the Chargers are being seriously linked to Hurts.
The rationale makes sense. By taking a quarterback later in the draft, Los Angeles is freed up to address some of their bigger needs earlier in process – namely getting some offensive line support.
Heard a rumor about the Chargers and Jalen Hurts…
Wonder if this means they dedicate early picks to tackles.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) March 4, 2020
“Heard a rumor about the Chargers and Jalen Hurts,” he tweeted out.
“Wonder if this means they dedicate early picks to tackles.”
If the Chargers really do select Hurts, the short-term gameplan is clear. They would ride it out with Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback and try to bolster the offensive line. From there they would develop the Oklahoma star as a potential franchise cornerstone, and re-evaluate things in a year or so.
What does this mean for LA’s odds of pulling in Tom Brady, though? It probably indicates the franchise feels like the six-time Super Bowl champ is not coming to town.
Related: LeSean McCoy To Sign With Chargers Or Eagles?
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
