Bucky Brooks says Jalen Hurts would be a good fit for Chargers

The two biggest names of quarterbacks that have been tied to the Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft have far-and-away been Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa. Former ESPN beat reporter Eric Williams and The Athletic’s Daniel Popper both have stated they feel like the team is most likely taking a signal-caller with the sixth-overall pick.

This team obviously has options besides QB at #6, including offensive tackle or possibly the best defensive player available at the time, like a Derrick Brown, Jeff Okudah, or - the dream - Isaiah Simmons.

If the Chargers were to pass on a quarterback at six then they would possibly attempt to trade back into the first were one of the top guys to fall, or pick one of the best guys left at the top of the second. One of the most possible names thrown out for the latter has been former Alabama and Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts. Draft pundits were pretty harsh on Hurts leading up to the Senior Bowl and other post seasons events due to a lack of passing mechanics that translate well to the next level. Everyone has looked at him as a running-first quarterback and that’s not what you bank the future of your franchise on. But in the last month we’ve all gotten to watch Hurts perform at both the combine and his pro day at Oklahoma.

NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks recently published the latest edition of his “Scout’s Notebook” where he likes to consolidate his thoughts about certain draft prospects and shed some light on a handful of his player rankings as we progress through the draft season. He begins with some extended discussion on Justin Herbert and then mentions three teams who he believes would be a good fit. The Chargers were not one of them.

He ends his piece with his thoughts on Jalen Hurts and how he thinks the dynamic play-maker will rise up draft boards considerably prior to the draft.

“Reviewing Hurts’ workout at Oklahoma’s pro day, I came away impressed with his quickness in drops and the timing of his throws. He swiftly retreats, sets up and delivers when executing traditional dropbacks from under center,” Brooks said. “Before you @ me regarding the irrelevance of workouts in T-shirts and shorts ... Yes, I understand your point, but scouts are re-thinking their opinions on his arm talent and throwing ability after watching him work out at the NFL Scouting Combine and Oklahoma’s pro day.”

So all those people we thought were crazy for considering Hurts at pick 37 for the Chargers are about to look a lot less crazy. I’ll be totally honest, I’m not a fan of the idea and I always dismissed the words of those who thought it was something the Bolts should do. With the latest news, I think I’m going to head back to the film and his recent pro day to give him another chance to sway me in his direction.