Jalen Hurts Reacts To The Eagles Taking DeVonta Smith

Elite wide receivers being reunited with their college quarterbacks has been a theme of tonight’s first round of the NFL Draft. The third pair to be reunited: former Alabama and new Philadelphia Eagles teammates Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith.

Smith did most of his damage in college catching passes from Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones. He and Hurts played together at the start of his career.

The Eagles were heavily rumored to have interest in the dynamic Heisman winner entering the draft. Tonight, they made sure they didn’t lose out on him, trading up from No. 12 to No. 10 to get ahead of the New York Giants, who wound up taking Kadarius Toney later in the night.

He follows the new Joe Burrow/Ja’Marr Chase and Tua Tagovailoa/Jaylen Waddle pairs that this draft has produced already. Hurts is pretty pumped to get his fellow Crimson Tide alum Smith in the City of Brotherly Love.

Hurts had a fascinating rookie year. Few expected him to really challenge Carson Wentz for major playing time, but by season’s end he took the job from the former No. 2 pick.

He appeared in 15 games, making four starts. He threw for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions, with a fairly concerning 52-percent completion rate. He also ran for 354 yards and three touchdowns.

Those passing numbers were likely depressed by a brutal assortment of weapons in the Philadelphia Eagles passing game. Travis Fulgham, a breakout player for Philly, led the team with 539 yards, adding four touchdowns, while Greg Ward had 419 yards and a team high six scores. It is a group in desperate need of talent, and they got the most productive wide receiver in recent college football history in DeVonta Smith.

[Jalen Hurts]

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