Jalen Hurts to Cowboys? Did Jerry Jones ‘Almost Draft’ Eagles QB?
FRISCO - Did the Dallas Cowboys almost draft Jalen Hurts? That is the story making the rounds now that Dallas has traded for Trey Lance, with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones mentioning that his team liked both Lance and Hurts in recent drafts.
Said Jerry: “But looking at (Hurts), had he fallen to us there we would have drafted him!”
Is this true? Kinda. Jerry suggests that Dallas would've taken Hurts "had he fallen to us'' in the fourth round. That is viable. But ..
We often note in this space, with respect, that Jerry enjoys "stories.'' He enjoys weaving them, and he enjoys starring in them. That's why the myth that "Johnny Manziel was almost a Cowboy'' will not die; the Cowboys owner keeps pumping life into it.
Now we’re seeing a recycling of a won't-go-away "Jalen Hurts was almost a Cowboy'' myth.
Let us take you back to December 2020, when this tale last had legs.
“We looked at him really hard,” COO Stephen Jones said that month on 105.3 The Fan as part of the buildup to an Eagles’ NFL Week 16 visit to AT&T Stadium, who were quarterbacked by the rookie. “Obviously, our guy is Dak (Prescott), but at the same time, Mike (coach McCarthy) is a big proponent of continuing to look at quarterback.''
Stephen demonstrated wisdom in turning the "Hurts talk'' into "Dak talk.
“We certainly had interest in (Hurts), but as I’ve said all along, our complete commitment is to Dak Prescott and look forward to getting his deal at some point finished and getting him back on the field,'' Stephen said. "He’s certainly the leader of this team and we certainly miss him.
We wrote then Dak's presence is why Dallas was never going to use a “highest pick” on another QB.
Ben DiNucci in the seventh round? Sure. They did that.
Jalen Hurts? How would that have gone down? The Eagles used the 53rd overall pick on Hurts, who had starred at the University of Oklahoma, never suspecting Carson Wentz would fade as he did. Smart and lucky for them.
And for Dallas?
“We talked about him a lot,” Dallas coach McCarthy said of Hurts. “We had a great virtual interview with him. Very impressive young man. Went back through his history both at Alabama and Oklahoma. We thought of him very highly in our building.”
At some point, based on their board, Dallas would have theoretically taken the kid who, on his college recruiting visits, went to Mississippi State and was hosted by none other than Prescott. There are even similarities in the two, Stephen Jones notes.
To some degree,'' Stephen said, "his leadership, competitiveness, and the success he’s having quickly reminds me a lot of our guy Dak.''
But the Eagles thought less of Hurts than they did of TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who they took 21st overall. (And who has busted.) And the Cowboys thought more of Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb than they did Reagor, so Dallas took Lamb four spots higher.
Lamb has worked out beautifully.
And then in the second round? Hurts was drafted 53rd overall, two picks after Dallas selected cornerback Trevon Diggs in the second round. So that tells you a truth about what they thought of both of those players with Alabama ties.
Diggs has worked out beautifully, too.
The Cowboys could’ve taken Hurts over Diggs, but they were not planning to invest in a legit backup QB over a needed defensive star - as proven by their actions.
In short, Hurts did “fall to” Dallas. And Dallas didn’t draft him. And had he "fallen to Dallas'' in the fourth round? That selection we'd buy - except given that the Eagles and the Cowboys and most everybody else had a second-round grade on the QB, that was never going to happen. Which makes connecting him to Dallas a heckuva "Jerry tale'' to tell.
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