With both the NFL and college football seasons winding down, Pro Football Focus has been ramping up their NFL Draft coverage.
They’ve been releasing weekly mock drafts, and as we all know, the Eagles have more stock in this upcoming draft than any other team in the league. With three first round picks in their arsenal, the draft night possibilities are endless.
With their latest mock, PFF decided to throw a wrench into an already touchy subject around Philly — the quarterback position. With the 11th overall pick, PFF has the Eagles selecting quarterback Matt Corral out of Ole Miss.
Austin Gayle, the writer of this PFF piece, is obviously aware of the significance behind this selection. Here’s his reasoning:
DO NOT OVERREACT, EAGLES FANS. JALEN HURTS HAS BEEN SOLID THIS YEAR. THIS DOES NOT MEAN PHILLY IS GIVING UP ON JALEN HURTS.
If you’ve made it to this point, Eagles faithful, I applaud you for working past the CMND+F “Eagles” and hearing me out. Hurts ranks 11th among all quarterbacks in PFF grade (80.0) this season. He’s played well and exceeded a lot of people’s expectations — so much so that Philadelphia’s brass should feel that they can keep him in their plans, at least for the immediate future.
However, the Eagles do have three first-round picks in 2022 and, therefore, an opportunity to add talent around Hurts and add competition at the most important position in football. Give Hurts the starting nod (obviously) in 2022 and reward him if he continues to improve and lead Philly to successful postseason efforts. Corral will still have obvious value in a league where trades for Sam Darnold and Carson Wentz are receiving second-round picks on the open market. And if Hurts doesn’t rise to the occasion in 2022, give the reins to Corral and get an early start on finding the quarterback of the future.“
I can’t argue with the logic behind this selection. Corral isn’t a finished product and won’t be ready to start from day one in the NFL. Providing some competition for Jalen Hurts, while also planning for the future, sounds great on paper. But that’s not typically how things work out in Philly.
If Howie Roseman were to draft Corral, it’s a clear indication that he doesn’t believe in Hurts long-term. He’ll dance around it and make it seem like that’s not the case, but he can’t hide behind the reality of the situation.
The team won’t spend the 11th overall pick on someone who they envision as a backup. Corral, if he’s drafted by Philly, will be the future of the franchise at some point. Whether that’s the right or wrong decision isn’t for us to conclude. All that matters is how the organization views Hurts, and if you’ve been following the crumbs, it’s pretty clear that they’re willing to move on from Hurts if the right opportunity presents itself.
I’m not sure if Corral is the right man for the job, or if that’s the type of opportunity the Eagles brass is looking for. But it would be foolish of us to assume Hurts’ job is safe past this year.
We’re all tired of the constant quarterback drama in this city. But on the bright side, we should be happy that the franchise isn’t willing to put up with mediocrity at the most important position in sports. They won’t rest until they have their franchise guy.
Like I said, who knows if Corral would be the long-term answer. It’s impossible for any of us to know that. But we should take solace in knowing that this franchise won’t roll over until they’re absolutely certain they have their guy.