The Philadelphia Eagles might need to think long and hard about their future at quarterback following the 2026 season — they’re 2-7, have lost seven straight games, and even became surprise sellers at the NFL trade deadline.
While it would be easy to blame their failures on the loss of quarterback Jalen Hurts for the season after blood clots were discovered in his lungs, the first three losses in the current skid came with Hurts playing.
That’s a big reason why Bleacher Report’s post-trade deadline mock draft has the Eagles selecting a quarterback in the 1st round of the 2027 NFL Draft, with South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers at No. 25 overall — a pick the Eagles obtained on Monday when they traded defensive tackle and former 1st-round pick Jordan Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Once upon a time, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman drafted Jalen Hurts despite Carson Wentz already being on the team’s roster and signed to a long-term contract,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on Wednesday. “Less than a year later, Wentz was gone and Hurts became the team’s starting quarterback. With the uncertainty surrounding Hurts’ health and his inconsistent play over the last two seasons, Roseman should strongly consider a similar approach, particularly with an extra first-round pick now in the team’s back pocket.”
Sellers Called ‘Highest Ceiling’ Prospect in Draft
Sellers, 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, was an All-SEC selection and the SEC Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2024 as the Gamecocks went 9-3 and Norris accounted for 3,218 yards of total offense and 25 total touchdowns, including 674 rushing yards.
Norris’ numbers dipped in 2025 as South Carolina went 4-8, but he’s bounced back in 2026. The Gamecocks are 6-3 heading into Saturday’s game against Arkansas and he has nearly matched his 2024 stats in just 9 games.
“The South Carolina quarterback has elite arm strength to attack the entire field,” Sobleski wrote. “His touch has improved this season as well. More importantly, the 21-year-old signal-caller has cleaned up his footwork and weight transfer when working from inside the pocket to create more consistency than previously seen. To top it all off, Sellers is a high-end athlete with the rushing/scrambling ability to take over games. As a result, he presents arguably the highest ceiling of any prospect in next year’s class.”
Where Eagles Sit With Jalen Hurts’ Contract
For Sellers, getting picked at No. 25 overall would essentially match the money he’s getting paid at South Carolina over his last year — an estimated $5.7 million in NIL money.
Chicago Bears safety Dillon Thieneman, the No. 25 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, signed a 4-year, $19.5 million rookie contract.
For the Eagles, any move toward a new quarterback that early in the draft would have to account for Hurts’ current contract. The Super Bowl LIX MVP signed a 4-year, $255 million contract extension with the Eagles before the 2023 season and would be due $51.5 million in each of the last two years of that contract in 2027 and 2028.
One thing to remember? Hurts’ contract includes a no-trade clause, so while there are probably plenty of teams willing to make a deal to obtain him in a trade, he’d have the final right of refusal if that was the path the Eagles choose to take.
Eagles Tabbed for 1st-Round QB in Post-Trade Deadline Mock Draft