Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts is a big fan of Jaylen Waddle

While everyone around the city of Philadelphia drums up controversy in regards to who the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback should be in 2021, the only QB currently on the roster – Jalen Hurts – has remained busy this offseason.

He’s been posting workout videos, working with special trainers, and most recently, doing podcasts with ESPN’s Senior NFL insider Adam Schefter (full podcast available here).

Hurts and Schefter discussed quite a bit during their time on the podcast together, ranging from the Carson Wentz trade to the future of the Philadelphia Eagles as a whole. While a majority of sites are going to jump at the opportunity to use Wentz’ name in a headline once more, it was something that Hurts said towards the end of the pod that really stuck out to me.

When asked to name a player from Alabama who he thinks is going to have the best NFL career moving forward, Hurts passed on the opportunity to highlight the current Heisman winner (DeVonta Smith), instead naming former teammate Jaylen Waddle instead:

Schefter pressed Hurts a little more once Waddle’s name came out of his mouth, asking if “(he) wouldn’t mind if Jaylen Waddle made his way to Philadelphia at number six.”

Hurts laughed off the question, stating that he couldn’t actually answer something like that.

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Jaylen Waddle to the Philadelphia Eagles?

In all seriousness, the possibility of Waddle teaming back up with Hurts in 2021 is a very real possibility. Prior to Waddle’s ankle injury that he suffered earlier last season, plenty of draft analysts and mocks had him as a lock for the top-ten. Obviously missing an entire season’s worth of college football is going to cause his stock to drop just a little bit, but he’s still an incredibly exciting prospect.

In a mock draft article that I did around a month ago, I dove into the idea of trading back on draft night, acquiring further draft compensation while still landing an impact playmaker in Waddle:

"Now obviously, the Eagles possess the sixth overall pick in the 2021 Draft, not the ninth. What I facilitated in this specific scenario was a trade down from #6 to #9 with the Denver Broncos. Both Smith and Chase were off the board at #6, and QB Justin Fields was still available. Denver has the motivation to jump the likes of Detroit and Carolina to snag their quarterback of the future, while the Eagles were able to accumulate some future draft compensation in 2022.Prior to Waddle’s 2020 injury, many had him right at the top alongside Smith and Chase in terms of who the best WR would be in the 2021 draft class. According to PFF, his career passer rating when targeted (152.0) actually ranks second amongst all draft-eligible receivers – only trailing Smith by 1.4 points and actually edging out Chase by 9.4 points.Waddle is a smaller built WR at just 5-10, 182 lbs (bigger than Smith, FWIW), but his speed is a complete game changer. He made explosive plays on the outside, in the slot, and even in the backfield for Alabama – he was all around just a fantastic weapon. Waddle would immediately become the Philadelphia Eagles best overall receiver, no questions asked."

Ultimately speaking, Hurts’ favor towards Waddle probably doesn’t matter all that much. Smart front offices draft the best player available when selecting in the top-ten, regardless of what their second-year QB favors.

However, a potential partnership between Jalen and Jaylen (no pun intended) is something worth getting excited about. They already have chemistry on and off the field, and Waddle immediately gives Hurts a proper WR1 to target downfield.