When you have the talent the Eagles do, it does not go unnoticed by college draft prospects. One of the more popular question, among many bizarre ones, that gets asked at the NFL Scouting Combine is about which NFL player he studies or who are the top five NFL players at his respective position.
Mississippi receiver Tre Harris was asked to name his top five receivers in the league right now. He had A.J. Brown third and DeVonta Smith fifth.
There’s nothing like the love being shown Jalen Hurts, though. While the quarterback may still struggle in the eyes of some in the national media even after being named Super Bowl LIX MVP in beating the Kansas City Chiefs last month, college quarterbacks respect him.
Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart compared his game to Hurts, though he tempered it a bit.
“I feel like it's a little bit of a cop-out because he just won the Super Bowl, but I love Jalen Hurts and what he does,” said Dart. “I feel like I'm very similar in my play style to him. I feel like we can do a lot of the same things. Obviously, he's an elite player, and I'm trying to reach that level.
“But he's been somebody that I've tried to resemble in my game just because of his versatility, being able to run and throw the ball, and just how strong he is in the pocket. I think that's something that I've had a lot of fun watching and observing his play style.”
Those who diss Hurts don’t see it that way. Maybe they will agree with Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe’s assessment.
“I think the biggest thing I learned from J-Hurts is how he kept his head down, always continuing to work,” said Milroe. “He always elevated his game, never got complacent and all you do is see great strides from him. And I got to applaud him as a person, him as a human being because he's definitely inspiring for a lot of quarterbacks of my image and also a lot of quarterbacks around the country.
“So, he's leading the way for all of us and it's definitely a path that we're trying to pursue as quarterbacks and that's the best thing that I love about him. He's constantly just growing as a player.”
Milroe was asked for his top five quarterbacks in the NFL.
“You're putting me on the spot ain't you?” he asked the Combine questioner. “You got to give it to Pat Mahomes for sure. Pat Mahomes is a great quarterback. I like him a lot. I love J. Hurts, I love Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, I like him a lot, and like (Matt) Stafford a lot. These are personal purposes but of course statistically you got to implement that, wins and all that stuff. But preference, that's the guys I watch a lot.”
Then there’s Miami’s Cam Ward. He also put Hurts in his top five.
“I'm not going to include myself; I'm not in the league yet,” he said. “I'll say Jayden Daniels, Pat (Mahomes), Lamar (Jackson), some good ones in the league, too. I would say Josh Allen's up there and Jalen Hurts.”
