Grass Isn't Greener When It Comes To Eagles' Jalen Hurts

Here's a closer look at how Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts stacks up against other quarterbacks taken in the same draft class.

Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – It’s human nature to look at the other side of the fence and think the grass is greener on the other side. Sometimes it is. Most times it probably isn’t.

Such is the case with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. He takes a lot of heat locally and nationally whenever he makes a mistake, like missing an open receiver, not seeing the field as well as he should at time, and sometimes holding the ball too long.

But, and this is a big but, he is 45-19 in four-plus years as a starting quarterback, and that should be enough to shield him from such endless criticism.

He’s guided the Eagles into the playoffs for four straight seasons and he has played in a Super Bowl, in which he should have been the MVP despite a 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

There were four quarterbacks picked ahead of him in the 2020 NFL Draft, all in the first round. Only one has made the Super Bowl, and that is the first overall pick in Hurts’ class, Joe Burrow. And the Bengals quarterback lost there, too, like Hurts.

Here’s a look at the first five QBs taken in 2020:

JOE BURROW

Draft: First overall, Bengals

Record: 130-43 in 65 games

Passing: 130 touchdowns, 43 interceptions, 17,789 yards

Rushing: 763 yards, 11 touchdowns

Total touchdowns: 141

TUA TAGOVAILOA

Draft: Fifth overall, Dolphins

Record: 98-41 in 62 games

Passing Stats: 98 touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 15,095 yards

Rushing stats: 431 yards, 6 touchdowns

Total touchdowns: 104

JUSTIN HERBERT

Draft: Sixth overall, Chargers

Record: 38-37 in 75 games

Passing Stats: 128 touchdowns, 43 interceptions, 19,987 yards

Rushing stats: 1,135 yards, 13 touchdowns

Total touchdowns: 141

JORDAN LOVE

Draft: No. 26 overall, Packers

Record: 16-13 in 38 games

Passing Stats: 56 touchdowns, 25 interceptions, 7,489 yards.

Rushing stats: 344 yards, 5 touchdowns

Total touchdowns: 61

JALEN HURTS

Draft: No. 53 overall, Eagles

Record: 45-19 in 75 games

Passing Stats: 83 touchdowns 39 interceptions, 14,366 yards

Rushing stats: 3,047 yards, 54 touchdowns

Total touchdowns: 137

Based on those numbers, you can see that Hurts doesn’t take much of a backseat to those picked ahead of him. He just plays the game differently with his ability to run the ball.

“I’ve submitted myself to whatever it takes to win,” said Hurts. “You look at the course of the years and we’ve had different conversations about who the most valuable player is and the recognition and whatever, and it’s all about the team. But you see different areas shining in different years. It’s about the team. I don’t care how it looks. It’s my game and I think that’s what some people have to accept. It’s going to look how Jalen Hurts wants it to look, but he’s gonna win.”

More NFL: Eagles Teammates Address Firestorm Created By Brandon Graham