Shortly after the Philadelphia Eagles drafted former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft on Friday, veteran Carson Wentz took to social media to congratulate and welcome his new teammate.
In a somewhat shocking move -- and months after the Eagles gave Wentz a four-year, $128 million extension -- the Eagles backed up their philosophy of having a "second quarterback" by drafting Hurts No. 53 overall.
While many current and former NFL players embraced the Eagles' bold move to add a player at the game's most important position, there were many who wondered if coach Doug Pederson plans to utilize Hurts the same way the New Orleans Saints uses versatile quarterback Taysom Hill.
Jalen Hurts has a message for #EaglesEverywhere.#EaglesDraft | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/OvHH97HSBA
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 25, 2020
Support from the pro ranks
Welcome to the best football city in America brotha! https://t.co/CKAMNLO7mb
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) April 25, 2020
Welcome to the division @JalenHurts #BoomerSooner ‼️‼️‼️
— Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) April 25, 2020
Congrats brudda @JalenHurts welcome home 🦅
— Cre'Von LeBlanc (@Strap_Ent) April 25, 2020
Norman to Philly! Let's run it back @JalenHurts 💪 #boomer #flyeaglesfly
— Lane Johnson (@LaneJohnson65) April 25, 2020
I love Jalen Hurts! Obviously Carson is the franchise but Jalen is going to be a great player!
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) April 25, 2020
Stop saying Jalen Hurts is Taysom Hill. He is a true QB. No disrespect.
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) April 25, 2020
Mel kiper jalen hurts is a winner not a backup. Some guys just win everywhere they go.
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) April 25, 2020
Support from the college ranks
Congrats @JalenHurts
— Lincoln Riley (@LincolnRiley) April 25, 2020
So proud!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Ykn60XyK6V
Congratulations @JalenHurts! Proud of you! #RollTide https://t.co/C8PWntxOBu
— Alabama Athletics (@UA_Athletics) April 25, 2020
The @Eagles are getting an absolute winner with @JalenHurts#NFLDraft #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/jYJKLqYouM
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 25, 2020
How Hurts fits in NFL
"We think that this is the most important position in sports." Howie Roseman, summing up the reasoning behind the Jalen Hurts. "This gives us another weapon in that room. This gives us an incredible teammate."
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) April 25, 2020
The Eagles took Jalen Hurts with the 53rd pick.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 25, 2020
In 2019, Hurts became the 4th player in FBS history with 30 pass TD and 20 rush TD in a season, joining Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton and Tim Tebow.
Two won an NFL MVP and all three players were drafted in the 1st round. pic.twitter.com/orV6SfAN3m
#Eagles HC Doug Pederson mentioned exploring a potential Taysom Hill role for Jalen Hurts. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the #Saints ran 206 plays last year with at least 2 QB on the field. The rest of the NFL combined ran 10.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) April 25, 2020
"I'm fascinated by this pick." - @kurt13warner @JalenHurts is on his way to Philly!
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 25, 2020
📺: 2020 #NFLDraft LIVE on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/LWGU3Sb1JY
The Eagles must think Jalen Hurts can be Taysom Hill 2.0 while also backing up Carson Wentz.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 25, 2020
