Jalen Hurts could quickly rise up charts ahead of NFL Draft

Jalen Hurts has been somewhat overlooked heading into what is considered a loaded quarterback draft, but the former Oklahoma star’s stock is trending in the right direction.

Hurts had a reputation for being an inconsistent passer while in college at Oklahoma and Alabama, but he impressed teams with his throwing ability at the NFL Scouting Combine this week. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller said Hurts has improved his throwing mechanics so much that he is almost “unrecognizable.”

Jalen Hurts’ improvement as a passer has made the QB "unrecognizable…in a good way"

(via @nfldraftscout | @sticktofootball) pic.twitter.com/uIMor7GFeU

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) March 1, 2020

Hurts is projected to go somewhere in the middle rounds. He’s not considered to be in the top tier with players like Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jacob Eason and Jordan Love, but he could sneak into the second round if he continues to impress over the next two months.

While Hurts was a dual-threat player in college, no NFL teams have asked him to work out at a position other than quarterback. Hurts threw for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season and added another 1,298 yards and 20 scores on the ground.

Quarterbacks get drafted much earlier than expected every year, and it would not be a surprise if Hurts becomes the latest to continue that trend.