2020 NFL Draft: Sleeper contenders to be No. 1 overall pick

Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama

Now, this would be a great story. Jalen Hurts was the starting quarterback at the University of Alabama as a true freshman in 2016 and as a sophomore in 2017. In those two seasons, Hurts led Alabama to a 26-2 record and two appearances in the National Championship Game. However, he lost his starting job to Tua Tagovailoa at the end of the 2017 season and decided to transfer after playing sparingly last season.

While Alabama had a lot of success when Hurts was under center, it is fair to wonder how much of the success was because of him. The numbers are solid. Hurts completed 62.9% of his passes at Alabama for 5,626 yards, 48 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. He also piled up 1,976 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground. However, he never really passed the eye test.

Hurts relied heavily on the talent around him at Alabama and never really looked like a top-tier NFL prospect. He does not have much raw arm talent, struggling to make throws down the field and his overall accuracy and touch are lacking. Hurts is a tough and mobile quarterback who has great leadership skills, but that can only get you so far in the NFL.

As things stand now, he is clearly the far and away least likely number one overall pick on this list. That being said, I wanted to include him because of the situation he is coming into with the Sooners. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game and he has done an incredible job of getting the most out of his quarterbacks in recent years.

Mayfield and Murray are both extremely talented quarterbacks, but Riley was a huge reason why they ended up going first overall. Turning Hurts into a pro prospect will be his biggest challenge yet, but I am not betting against him. I’d be surprised if Riley turned Hurts into a top-tier NFL draft prospect, but I would not be shocked.