ESPN ranks Eagles' Jalen Hurts inside top-10 in just two out of seven key QB traits originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the more hotly debated quarterbacks in the NFL in veteran Super Bowl champion Jalen Hurts. He's a divisive QB, and after his 2025 season, he's fallen some QB rankings around the league.
While he might not have the regular-season acumen of other QBs, or the high-volume passing stats, he's been one of the better QBs of the 2020s. However, he's still a hotly debated QB, as seen with his recent practice interception that went viral for no reason.
Now, with the preseason just about to get underway, ESPN's Dan Orlovsky revealed his top-10 quarterbacks in seven key traits, and Hurts ranked inside the top 10 in just two of seven categories.
Jalen Hurts ranked inside top 10 in 2-of-7 QB traits by ESPNWhen it comes to arm strength, ball placement, mechanics, pocket presence, and second-reaction ability, Hurts is outside the top-10 in the NFL.
There are only two areas where Orlovsky ranks him as a top-10 QB. One of which is his "decision-making with the football."
Hurts ranks at No. 10, right behind Patrick Mahomes and just ahead of Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence. As Orlovsky notes, this is the league's "problem solvers."
It's not only about hitting the right read in structure, but being able to make the right decision when pressure comes or something goes awry.
Hurts is good at avoiding interceptions and is good at protecting the football. While that sometimes limits how prolific the passing offense can be, with an elite defense and run game, being conservative with the ball isn't a bad thing.
The other trait that Orlovsky ranks him as a top-10 QB in is "Rushing ability." This one is pretty straightforward. Hurts is one of the best rushing QBs in the NFL.
While Orlovsky ranks Hurts at No. 6 behind the likes of Caleb Williams and Justin Herbert, that's in part because Hurts didn't run the ball as much or as efficiently as he normally does last season.
But with the buzz coming out of training camp that Hurts is looking faster than ever, there should be reason to believe Hurts could begin climbing back up this ranking, potentially into the top three with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Hurts isn't ranked highly in any of these seven key QB traits by Orlovsky, but if he can thrive in Sean Mannion's new-look offense, there's a chance Hurts climbs back into the top 10 conversation in a few of these key traits and overall in QB rankings.
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