2020 NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles final 7-round 2020 NFL mock draft

The Eagles have needed a serious backup for Wentz since Nick Foles left the last offseason. Josh McCown was a smart pickup before the start of the 2019 season, serving as an extra quarterback coach in the locker room. But outside of one half-drive during the Week 2 game against the Atlanta Falcons, McCown was hardly useful on the field. The final drive in the Wild Card round against the Seattle Seahawks, McCown showed why he had retired in the 2019 offseason, as age and a nasty injury finally caught up to McCown.

The team is keeping designated backup Nate Sudfeld on the roster for 2020, but it doesn’t seem the front office has much faith in him as a backup. They have signed and even drafted multiple backup quarterbacks with Sudfeld on the roster, which makes you wonder how much confidence they have in him. Considering they didn’t even put him on the active roster for this year’s Wild Card round should speak volumes.

The Eagles have Sudfeld on a one-year contract and the coaching staff likes to keep three quarterbacks on the roster at all times: Starter, back-up and developmental. But with McCown now gone and Sudfeld on a one-year deal, Roseman will want to bring in a competent back-up to study and develop under Wentz.

Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton brings a lot more to the table than most late-round signal-callers and could flourish in the right developmental role. Luton is listed as 6-foot-7, 229-pounds, which is actually taller than Wentz. He has a cannon for an arm and it is surprising more teams aren’t talking about him as a legitimate backup prospect.

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In 29 college games, Luton threw 43 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions, averaging a completion rate of 62 percent, according to Sports Reference. In 2019, Luton threw for over 2,714 yards, a career-best. Luton rarely fumbles and doesn’t make reckless throws that could hurt a team, should he need to step in for a drive or two. His stats have gone up every year, indicating a general upswing in development.

That being said, Luton is hardly a threat to take the starting role from Wentz. Luton makes the safe throw almost every time. He isn’t in the habit of passing deep, instead preferring to throw to the checkdown option. This style won’t win him any starting quarterback jobs, as being one of the top-32 quarterbacks in the NFL requires risk-taking and a desire to make big throws.

For a quarterback that needs to step in for a game or two, Luton could be counted on to not screw up. And with his big arm and NFL coaching to support him, Luton could become a decent starting quarterback with a year or two of development in the right system.