3 reasons the Philadelphia Eagles should consider a QB in the first round
By David Esser
It’s an unpopular opinion, but it’s not one without merit. Coming off a 4-11-1 season and set to pick in the top ten of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles will definitely do their homework on some of the higher rated quarterbacks this offseason.
With Carson Wentz now off to Indianapolis, the need to find the next great franchise quarterback is pressing.
While plenty of people have talked themselves into Jalen Hurts being the longterm answer at the quarterback position moving forward, it appears the rest of the league isn’t at sold. According to Les Bowen, at least one NFL source has communicated to him that he believes the Philadelphia Eagles are eyeing up a new franchise QB with the sixth overall pick.
Spoke with NFL management source (not from Eagles) about the Wentz melodrama. His viewpoint: If Wentz doesn’t want the Bears, Bears aren’t gonna trade for him. Eventually the Eagles take whatever Indy is offering, maybe a second plus something. Also, Eagles draft a QB 6th overall
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) February 17, 2021
The Philadelphia Eagles drafting another new QB isn’t that crazy.
While the thought of burning yet another top asset on a quarterback might have some of you cringing, here are three legitimate reasons to the logic behind it:
Justin Fields and Zach Wilson are better than Jalen Hurts.
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Assuming Trevor Lawrence goes #1 overall to the Jaguars, the two main names to watch in this year’s draft are Justin Fields and Zach Wilson. Both look superbly talented, and both will likely be off the board by the time the Eagles name flashes on the clock.
However, if a scenario plays out where one of them falls to #6, I’d be hard pressed to find a reason to not draft them. Not only are both superior prospects compared to Jalen Hurts, but the Eagles would be instantly upgrading the most important position on the football field.
Forget all the other roster holes for the moment, if Fields and Wilson are as good as currently advertised, they’d make the Eagles far better than any other prospect currently being mocked in the top ten could.
As for Hurts, there’s just little statistical evidence to value him over Fields/Wilson. He finished 2020 with a 52% completion rate, and he would’ve ranked dead last in both bad throws (26.7%) and on target throws (60.7%) had he played enough snaps to qualify.
Not many rational pundits would make the claim that Hurts is a superior QB prospect than either Fields or Wilson.