2020 NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts scouting report

Mental Evaluation

When it comes to making reads and moving through the pocket, Hurts reminds me of rookie Lamar Jackson. Much of his issues arise from his urgency to leave the pocket and move his eyes to running lanes instead of passing lanes.

This does create plenty of rushing opportunities, creating impressive college stat lines, but will not translate well to the NFL. Jackson was a much more natural ball carrier coming out of college and was able to be schemed into an NFL system that complimented his play style.

Hurts’ ability to read the field is one of his biggest weak points as an NFL draft prospect, commonly being bailed out by his offensive line when holding the ball too long. This length of time to find his receivers and progress through his reads will kill him at the next level, and make defenders like Khalil Mack and Von Miller salivate at the opportunity. He will frequently only look to his first read, and move his eyes down for the rush once that opportunity has passed.

Under a collapsing pocket, Hurts does not feel pressure but instead looks for it. He has not yet developed the ability to feel where the rush is coming from, and move to a clean space in the pocket. When he does notice the rush, he is not keeping his eyes downfield for his receivers, but instead looking for the most immediately available running lane to create from. This tendency will be punished by NFL linebacking corps and defensive scheming.

Hurts does possess great vision for a running quarterback, finding good rushing lanes and making plays with his legs. So far this season, he has averaged 10+ yards per carry in two of his three games, with longs of 36, 43 and 52. This ability on the ground will have value, but not until he can polish his game through the air and become a true dual-threat quarterback.

If Lamar Jackson was able to go from a run-first, pass- “please don’t make me do this” quarterback to a Michael Vick like threat through both the air and ground, Hurts can fix his current issues with a year behind a quality starter.