Eagles draft: Could Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Jaren Hall entice the Birds after the top four QBs?

One quarterback was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Expect that number to be higher when the draft begins next month, with four potential first-round quarterbacks.

Coming into the season, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young separated themselves from the pack and with a little more than a month until the draft, remain the top two quarterbacks in this class.

Stroud is a precision passer who excels at delivering passes all over the field on time and on target while showing great touch on his deep passes. The biggest questions about his game were his ability to create off-structure and off-platform, and he emphatically answered those against Georgia in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, evading pressure and using his legs to not only throw on the move, but pick up some big first downs with his legs.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts’ breakout earns Eagles a reprieve from NFL draft’s quarterback roulette

Meanwhile, Young, a bit of an outlier with his size (5-foot-10⅛), has terrific poise in the pocket, always keeps plays alive with his creativity and elusiveness in the pocket and delivers the ball with accuracy between the hashes and outside the numbers. Although he doesn’t hit the middle of the field much because of his height, Young creates throwing lanes for himself and can throw from myriad of platforms and arm angles.

With quarterback-needy teams like the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts at the top of the draft, Stroud and Young are expected to be off the board within the first four picks.

After the top two quarterbacks sit Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who blew up the combine with his insane athleticism, and Kentucky’s Will Levis, who has enamoring arm talent and size but struggled down the stretch of the season with inconsistent play while battling injuries.

The 6-4, 244-pound Richardson was a one-year full-time starter with the Gators. The ball flies off his hand with a simple flick of the wrist and he is an explosive runner with the dual-threat ability of Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts. His lower-body mechanics need work to improve his inconsistent accuracy in all areas of the field, and he needs more reps with just 24 career games. But the baseline and tools are in place for Richardson to be developed and molded into a starting NFL quarterback within a year or two.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Four takeaways from the NFL combine, headlined by Nolan Smith and Anthony Richardson

Levis started his career with Penn State, appearing in 15 games in three seasons with the Nittany Lions before transferring to Kentucky to finish his career. The arm talent and speed are evident. He thrives at throwing in the intermediate levels of the field and displays toughness to hang in the pocket as it caves around him. He struggles with consistency in his accuracy, footwork, and seeing the field cleanly. But working in a pro-style system and his ability to make plays with his legs makes him an enticing potential first-round selection.

Neither is a certain star at the next level, but the NFL is always searching for the modern mold of quarterbacks with tools worth betting on early in the first round.

The Eagles won’t be in the mix for those four quarterbacks, considering Hurts has become a star. But with just Hurts and Marcus Mariota, who signed in free agency, there could be a need for a developmental quarterback to mold as a backup in the long term. Here are some options they could consider, particularly in rounds 4-7.

The Eagles have already shown interest in Thompson-Robinson, a four-year starter under the Chip Kelly-led Bruins, meeting with him at the NFL combine. With experience in a similar RPO-based offense that the Eagles run, Thompson-Robinson could be a match as a long-term developmental backup for the Eagles.

Thompson-Robinson improved as a passer each season after playing just one year at quarterback in high school. He took over as a full-time starter as a sophomore and appeared in 50 games during his career. His dynamic ability to extend plays with his legs and rip passes over the middle of the field. While he has to continue to take care of the football and protect himself better as a runner, Thompson-Robinson has tools worth honing and developing in the Eagles system.

» READ MORE: Eagles meet with Thompson-Robinson at NFL combine; TE Tucker Kraft on Dallas Goedert

He’s likely a Day 3 pick, but after an impressive showing at the combine, he seems to be trending more toward a fourth- or fifth-round projection.

A bit of an older prospect (24 years old), Hall is another potential developmental option the Eagles could consider during Day 3 of the draft. Like Thompson-Robinson, Hall has dual-threat ability, throws with great touch on vertical routes, is one of the better deep-ball throwers in this class and throws with anticipation on passes outside the numbers. The Cougars’ offense is all about route timing and ball placement, and Hall excelled in those areas, particularly on vertical concepts.

Hall still has some work to do as a passer, specifically feeling pressure around him and being more consistent with his footwork in the short passing game. But the tools he has, not only as a passer vertically, but his ability to make plays out of structure with his compact throwing release, make him a nice potential fit in the Eagles offense.

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, another older prospect in this class, was in the Heisman discussion before a knee injury prematurely ended his final season. He is in that next wave of quarterback prospects in the draft. Hooker has the ability to throw accurately at all levels of the field, elevating the Volunteers’ offense into one of the best in college football, while also utilizing his legs to create explosive runs. He seems more like a player who could develop into a starter behind an aging quarterback, which likely takes him off the Eagles’ board.

» READ MORE: Stetson Bennett leads Georgia to another national championship in rout of TCU

Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, a two-time national champion, is another potential option for the Birds. He is mobile and accurate in the short passing game. He has average arm talent, but is a smart post-snap processor and is willing to pick up first downs with his legs if nothing is open downfield. Bennett has multiple years of starter experience and his skill set could help fill out the Eagles’ quarterback room.