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Head coach Anthony Lynn has consistently said that all options are on the table for the Chargers at the quarterback position. That includes one of the top guys at #6, veteran free agents, and other prospects who will come off the board on day two or three.
One of the more polarizing prospects in this entire draft is former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts. According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, the Chargers and Packers are two teams that have kept a close eye on Hurts throughout the draft process. He’s met with both teams already, as well.
Two interesting teams who have been in touch with and monitoring #OU QB Jalen Hurts: The #Packers and the #Chargers. Both had meetings set up with him and have done virtual calls. Both have a veteran (of varying degrees) in as the starter and are expected to look to the future.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 14, 2020
After spending the first three years of his career with the Crimson Tide, Hurts transferred for his final year eligibility and certainly made the most of it. In 2019, Hurts threw for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while also adding 1,298 rushing yards and 20 more scores on the ground on 233 carries. For good measure, he caught two passes for 25 yards and an additional touchdown.
In his first two years at Alabama, Hurts started all 29 games and threw for 4,861 yards with touchdown to interception ratio of 40-9. As a junior in 2018, Hurts eventually lost his job to Tua Tagovailoa but stuck it out for the Tide throughout the rest of the year.
Oklahoma was down 28-3 at Baylor.
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 15, 2019
That's when Jalen Hurts took over pic.twitter.com/smZ5mkfvax
A lot of Chargers fans have warmed-up to the idea of drafting Hurts mostly due to the fact he is was a productive dual-threat quarterback and that’s sort’ve what we all want to see under center now that the Rivers era is officially over. It’s why Cam Newton was a favorite to possibly land with the team and it’s why Lynn made a point to sign Tyrod Taylor prior to the 2018 season.
Most criticisms on Hurts’ game is that, despite improving by leaps and bounds as a passer last year, he’s still got plenty of questions about his processing and decision-making. Lincoln Riley’s offense at OU is known to be very quarterback friendly but the likes of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray weren’t really affected by that notion after going number one overall in back-to-back drafts.
The one thing that most analysts have a consensus on is that he is an extremely motivated, disciplined, and intellectual player that would be a phenomenal addition to any NFL locker room. With Hurts, the Chargers would be an ideal situation given that he wouldn’t need to play immediately as a rookie.