The Los Angeles Chargers are in the market for a new quarterback. Philip Rivers will be taking his talents elsewhere in 2020, and the Chargers currently don’t have any long-term hope for the position. Los Angeles owns the sixth pick in the draft and probably won’t have the opportunity to select Joe Burrow or Tua Tagovalioa. If the Chargers aren’t in love with Justin Herbert, then the team might decide to hold off on quarterback until the second round and draft a guy like Jalen Hurts out of Oklahoma.
2020 NFL Draft: Jalen Hurts to the Los Angeles Chargers?
Jalen Hurts the Prospect
Going from Philip Rivers to Jalen Hurts would be a dramatic change in quarterback style. While Rivers is the definition of a pocket passer, Hurts prefers to use both his legs and his arm to beat a defense. The Oklahoma product excels at taking off if his first read isn’t there and can usually turn a broken play into a positive situation. While he prefers to take off and run, he has an impressive ability to keep the play alive behind the line of scrimmage if no rushing lanes are available. Hurts has the skillset to break tackles in the pocket and the elusiveness to avoid incoming edge rushers. He might not be as elusive as Lamar Jackson, but he’d still be one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the league.
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Hurts has the raw tools to be a strong NFL starter, but there’s a reason teams could realistically get him in the second round. In terms of actually throwing the football, Hurts leaves something to be desired. While he does have a few nice throws on film, he struggles to consistently hit his targets. Having Ceedee Lamb and a fantastic coaching staff definitely boosted his passing numbers, and he’ll need to work on improving ball location at the next level.
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Additionally, Hurts tends to immediately bail out of the pocket if his first read isn’t there. While his athleticism tends to offset the negatives from giving up on a play, this can be a double-edged sword. Hurts is sometimes overly-confident in his playmaking abilities and tries to force things when he should just live to play another down.
The biggest disadvantage with Hurts’ ability to extend the play is that sometimes he tries to make too much happen. Should just live to play another down but instead forces a terrible pass for an interception pic.twitter.com/m2KlHoRnaG
— Dave Latham (@DLPatsThoughts) February 15, 2020
How Hurts Fits the Chargers
No matter how hard they try, the Los Angeles Chargers simply cannot fix their offensive line. Fortunately, Hurts’ mobility should minimize that problem. In some ways, this make him the perfect fit for this team. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are a great wide receiver duo and Jalen Hurts won’t need to have pinpoint accuracy to connect on a few big plays.
Of course, it’s probably best if Hurts doesn’t start right out of the gate. The Oklahoma product still needs to work on reading a defense and going through his progressions. Because of this, it’s best if Hurts lands with a team that has a bridge quarterback ready to go. Fortunately for Los Angeles, they have Tyrod Taylor. Taylor is nobody’s idea of a franchise quarterback, but he’s capable of starting and keeping a team afloat. The former sixth-round pick played adequately during his three seasons with the Buffalo Bills and served as a mentor to Baker Mayfield back in 2018.
Ultimately, Jalen Hurts is a great fit for a team like the Chargers. He possesses the raw talent to develop into a long-term option under center if the coaching staff is creative enough to base their offense around his freak athleticism. He still has a way to go in terms of traditional quarterbacking, but a season on the bench should help his overall progression. If Los Angeles isn’t in love with any of the top quarterbacks in the class, they can use their first-round pick to grab an elite talent and still grab a potential quarterback of the future in the second round.
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