Jalen Hurts ranked No. 3 in 2023 NFL Top 100; six other Eagles make the list
The 25-year-old quarterback checks in behind only Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes.
After being unranked in the NFL’s 2022 Top 100, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts surged to third place on this year’s ranking, as voted on by his fellow NFL players.
Hurts comes in behind only Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson in the No. 2 spot, and Patrick Mahomes at No. 1 overall. Mahomes also claimed the top spot in 2021 before falling to 7th in 2022.
“He had the best performance in the Super Bowl that I’ve ever seen of a quarterback — running the ball, throwing the ball. He balled out,” Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said in the video revealing Hurts’ ranking.
Hurts set a quarterback record in Super Bowl LVII with three rushing touchdowns. In the regular season, Hurts had 3,701 passing yards, 760 rushing yards, and 35 total touchdowns (22 passing, 13 rushing). He was also a finalist for the 2022 NFL MVP award, losing out to Mahomes.
Last offseason, 14 quarterbacks were ranked higher than Hurts, who was left off the list entirely.
The high praise comes weeks after Hurts didn’t even crack the top five of ESPN’s best active quarterbacks in the league. Mahomes topped that list, too, but Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Justin Herbert also came before Hurts.
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Apparently, Hurts’ peers see him differently, with many giving him kudos for his strength and his skill as a dual-threat quarterback.
“We got a quarterback squatting 500. OK? We got a quarterback squatting 500,” Jones said with a laugh. “They need to get him off the squat machine. Howie needs to make that call. Get him off the squat rack.” (Sorry, Chris Jones, but Hurts could actually squat 600 lbs. in college.)
“He makes big plays with his feet and big plays with his arm. Take one away and he might kill you with the other,” said Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
Several players even had Hurts as their No. 1 overall, including Brown, Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb, Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley.
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“If there’s any doubters, there’s no more. Everybody thinks of him as a runner, but the way he was able to throw the football, especially in the Super Bowl, it shows the talent that he has,” Mahomes said. “The way that he works, I expect him to get better and better every year and I expect to play him in a lot of big games as my career goes on.”
Six other Eagles made the Top 100: A.J. Brown (22), Jason Kelce (37), Lane Johnson (41), Haason Reddick (48), Darius Slay (77), and DeVonta Smith (100). With seven players total making the list, the Eagles tied with the Cowboys for the second most represented team in the league.