The Philadelphia Eagles are hosting Baylor wide receiver Jalen Hurd on an official pre-draft visit, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Hurd is at least the fourth potential slot receiver the Eagles have brought to the NovaCare Complex leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft. The others were A.J. Brown, N’Keal Harry, and Parris Campbell.
The Eagles seem to be interested in “big slot” types, which is interesting. Philadelphia currently has the most cap space dedicated to three starting wide receivers in the entire league. Included in that equation is Nelson Agholor, who’s making $9.4 million this season on the last year of his contract. Are the Eagles looking to replace Agholor as soon as this year? Are they just preparing for him to move on in 2020? And what has the Eagles so interested in bigger slot types as opposed to smaller, quicker guys?
Hurd is actually the biggest of the big slots the Eagles have brought in for a visit. He measures in at nearly 6-5, 226 pounds.
Hurd wasn’t always a receiver, though. He actually played running back at Tennessee before requesting a switch to wideout. Tennessee wanted him to stay in the backfield so he transferred to Baylor in 2017 and played receiver in 2018. Hurd finished his senior season with a nice 69 receptions for 946 yards (13.7 average) and two touchdowns. He also still rushed 48 times for 209 yards and three scores, which allowed him to finish his college career with 637 attempts for 2,844 yards (4.5 average) and 23 touchdowns.
The Eagles could be bringing in Hurd to talk to him more about his position transition. The team will also be sure to check up on his medical status considering he had a knee procedure done that caused him to miss Baylor’s bowl game.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein lists Terelle Pryor as Hurd’s pro comparison. Entire scouting report below:
Hurd was used as big slot but he might need to transition into a role outside to take advantage of his potential to stretch the field as a downfield ball-winner. He’s still learning the nuances of the position, but he has outstanding traits, a great work ethic and an ability to get much better very quickly. While Hurd will be an NFL receiver, he offers a unique option of becoming a short-yardage banger near the goal line. His best days are in front of him.
Highlights video:
Spider graph via Mockdraftable:
Complete list of known Philadelphia Eagles draft visits
Baylor WR Jalen Hurd
Oklahoma State RB Justice Hill - [Click here]
Penn State RB Miles Sanders - [Click here]
Memphis RB Darrell Henderson - [Click here]
Ohio State WR Parris Campbell - [Click here]
Clemson DT Christian Wilkins - [Click here]
Louisiana Tech DE Jaylon Ferguson - [Click here]
UCF DT Trysten Hill - [Click here]
Arizona State WR N’Keal Harry - [Click here]
Alabama RB Josh Jacobs - [Click here]
Georgia CB Deandre Baker - [Click here]
Mississippi State DE Montez Sweat - [Click here]
Virginia S Juan Thornhill - [Click here]
Houston CB Isaiah Johnson - [Click here]
Houston DT Ed Oliver - [Click here]
Maryland S Darnell Savage (Local) - [Click here]
Boston College OL Chris Lindstrom - [Click here]
Oklahoma OT Cody Ford - [Click here]
Ole Miss WR A.J. Brown - [Click here]
Penn State CB Amani Oruwariye - [Click here]
Arkansas G/C Hjalte Froholdt - [Click here]
TCU DE L.J. Collier - [Click here]
Old Dominion DE Oshane Ximines - [Click here]
Michigan RB Karan Higdon - [Click here]
Florida S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - [Click here]
Alabama State OT Tytus Howard - [Click here]