Jerry Jones on Jalen Hurts: ‘Had he fallen to us there we would have drafted him’
The Cowboys recently traded for former No. 3 pick and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance to build depth at quarterback behind Dak Prescott. Lance, someone who hasn’t had many snaps in the NFL, has already been questioned as the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys.
But, what if I told you that Jerry Jones could’ve taken division rival starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, replacing Prescott and promoting one of the biggest “What ifs?” in NFL history?
The Cowboys’ offense has been one of the best in the NFL since Prescott entered the league, but lately, their supposed franchise quarterback has struggled. With that struggle comes a big “What if?”.
What if Jerry Jones drafted Hurts if he fell to pick 82? If he fell, Jones would have pulled the trigger on drafting the now MVP runner-up.
“But looking at (Hurts), had he fallen to us there we would have drafted him,” Jones told reporters recently. Here is the full quote:
In these past few NFL seasons, we have seen star QBs emerge from late-round draft picks, and sometimes we scratch our heads. Let’s take Patrick Mahomes, for example.
Already a two-time Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP with the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Chiefs selected him No. 10 overall. The one QB who was taken over him was Mitchell Trubisky, who Chicago traded up to select.
Obviously looking back on it, it became a foolish decision for the Bears to not only take him, but trade up for him. Yes, it was only one spot, but that one spot changed NFL history.
Instead of taking Hurts, Dallas chose cornerback Trevon Diggs. Diggs has obviously been pretty solid for the Cowboys, but has struggled at times in actual coverage. He has a tendency to allow a plethora of yards, but is a phenomenal ball hawk–one of the best in the NFL. Good pick Mr. Jones.
If the Cowboys drafted Hurts, he might not be as good as he is now (not a top 3 quarterback, by the way), but it would change a lot. The Eagles would never have made it to the Super Bowl last season, and even looking at it now, they might be in contention to be one of the worst teams in the league.
Philadelphia could have been in contention for future No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. This “What if?” conversation is all about perspective. We can’t go back and change history, but for sure is a lot of fun doing it.
“We looked at him really hard,” COO Stephen Jones said in December of 2020 on 105.3 The Fan. “Obviously, our guy is Dak (Prescott), but at the same time, Mike (coach McCarthy) is a big proponent of continuing to look at quarterback.
“We certainly had interest in (Hurts), but as I’ve said all along, our complete commitment is to Dak Prescott and look forward to getting his deal at some point finished and getting him back on the field … He’s certainly the leader of this team and we certainly miss him.
“We talked about him a lot,” Dallas coach McCarthy said of Hurts. “We had a great virtual interview with him. Very impressive young man. Went back through his history both at Alabama and Oklahoma. We thought of him very highly in our building.”
As a Cowboys fan, looking back at this really pains me. I don’t think Hurts is a top 3 QB in the league, but he for sure is better than Prescott. Most Cowboys fans will think Dak is great and all, but frankly, they need to wake up. Having Prescott behind center, let alone the Jones family in charge of the organization, really stings.
Dallas will not win a Super Bowl with Prescott as their franchise guy. Jerry Jones, anyone in the Cowboys organization, or any fellow Cowboys fans, if you’re reading this, please wake up. It is time to move on from Prescott. I don’t think he is a bad guy because he’s not, but moving forward in this franchise, you need to make a harsh decision, and that decision is to get rid of Prescott.
In all reality, as said before, the whole “What if?” conversations are fun, and sometimes painful, to look back on. But what do you think should have the Cowboys selected Jalen Hurts instead of Diggs? What if he fell to the third round, should have the Cowboys take a chance on him? Let us know in the comments down below.
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