The Philadelphia Eagles entered last week’s NFL Draft with a ton of needs on both sides of the ball. Coming off a pedestrian nine-win season that saw the team win the equally average NFC East, the expectation was that general manager Howie Roseman might find a few immediate impacted players.
That’s why it was so shocking on Friday when Philadelphia opted to select former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round.
It’s not that Hurts wasn’t a value pick. He was. It’s not that he isn’t going to help the team moving forward. He will. However, this pick came less than a calendar year after Philadelphia handed starting quarterback Carson Wentz a then record-breaking contract.
In talking about the reaction to his Eagles selecting Hurts, Roseman said the thought it would be more favorable.
It’s almost like Roseman forgot what market his Eagles play in. Philadelphia has not necessarily been the bastion for civilized sports discourse.
As it is, the Eagles did make sure to note after selecting Hurts that they don’t view him to be a gadget player. He will back up a quarterback in Wentz who has proven himself to be injury plagued thus far in his career.
As for Roseman, that certainly played a role in the selection of Hurts.