Birds still have QB options available to them in draft
Two names for the Eagles if Jalen Hurts fails to pan out as their quarterback of the future: Sam Howell and Spencer Rattler.
Both could be coming out in the 2021 draft, the one in which the Eagles likely will have three first-round picks based on the trades they’ve made in this offseason. If rookie head coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts bomb this season, one of those selections could be a top 10 pick.
We all know what happened the last time the Eagles thought it was a good idea to bundle first-round draft choices to move up for a franchise quarterback, and then pay him like he was elite. But these guys are different. At least one of them, anyway.
Though we’re convinced the Eagles weren’t nearly as sweet on Zach Wilson as the NFL Network insider opined, they’re certainly not married to Hurts. We believe they traded down the board in the first round because the wide receiver they coveted wouldn’t be around when they were slated to pick sixth overall, and they need several pieces to become whole.
Even owner Jeffrey Lurie conceded the Eagles are going to have to bite the bullet this season, and maybe longer because they’re in salary cap hell due to their trade of Carson Wentz to the Colts, and the impact the coronavirus had on league revenues. The latter triggered a decline in the salary cap from $198 million per team to $182.5 million this season.
Trading the sixth pick to Miami for the 12th pick, a 2022 first-rounder and an exchange of third-day selections will even save the Eagles a bit of money signing their 2021 picks.
But back to their upcoming quarterback options because quite frankly, we all know the Eagles haven’t learned their lesson about shelling out so much of their draft resources to find a next level quarterback.
Howell is an NFL star waiting to happen. He guided North Carolina to an 8-4 record and a No. 18 ranking in the final AP poll last year despite limited resources around him.
“I kind of compare Sam to a guy like Brett Favre,” Tar Heels coach Mack Brown said. “He’s a gunslinger. He competes. He’s tough, he’s smart, he’s a natural leader.”
Howell threw 38 touchdown passes against just seven interceptions in his true freshman season. This past season, the ACC coaches having studied his every move, he threw 30 touchdowns and seven picks.
The problem is Howell (6-1, 225) probably is going to be the first pick, so there’s some luck involved. It’s almost impossible to watch Howell without saying something stupid like, he is the one, to borrow that time-tested line from Morpheus in The Matrix.
A criticism of Hurts is he doesn’t throw his receivers open. He’s reluctant to put the ball in the place the receiver is supposed to get there and that makes him hold on to the ball too long.
Howell not only throws his targets open on short and deep routes, he does it with so much flair and
chemistry for a secondyear quarterback that his receivers accelerate in and out of their breaks to get there.
Unlike Favre, who threw strictly fastballs, Howell changes the trajectory on his throws like Patrick Mahomes.
Oklahoma’s Rattler has similarities to Hurts in that his strength is the short game. Double or triple coverage? No problem, for Rattler puts it to a spot only his receiver can get it.
That strength serves Rattler well in the red zone, as well as his ability to keep plays alive with his scrambling. Again, Mahomesesque. Hurts is a little more likely to finish some of those plays with a run.
Rattler led the Sooners to a No. 6 national
ranking and 9-2 record last year, throwing 27 TD passes against seven interceptions. He completed 67.4 percent of his attempts and rushed for seven scores.
Like Hurts, Rattler (6-1, 205) is most comfortable at the short-to-intermediate game.
The downside, if there is one, is Howell and Rattler are products of air raid offenses that create chaos by the sheer volume of pass plays (65 percent plus) and the mass number of receivers (four minimum). College defenses basically don’t know what to do when four receivers are running vertical right after the snap. When it’s not four verticals, there’s almost always a slot receiver working the middle of the
field ready to take advantage of the coverage chaos.
There will be other options at quarterback for the Eagles in the 2022 draft, with Tyler Shough (Texas Tech), Malik Willis (Liberty) and Kedon Slovis (USC) possibly available.
For now, Eagles fans should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Maybe Hurts is the guy and just needs a chance to prove it. Beyond Trevor Lawrence, the consensus first pick this April, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Trey Lance all have issues.
Plan B should be taking a run at Howell or Rattler.