Getty QB Ian Book of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Jalen Hurts will be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. However, it will be up to him to prove if he deserves to be the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
Their blockbuster trade took them out of running to draft a rookie signal-caller this year but it placed them firmly in position to grab one in 2022. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal was the ultimate quarterback insurance policy and the front office will be watching Hurts’ performance closely to see what the next move is.
The long-time NFL Insider was a guest on the John Kinkade Show on 97.5 The Fanatic on Wednesday where he discussed what the Eagles might do at pick No. 12 and the thought process behind trading down. It begins and ends with the quarterback position, per Schefter.
I think that they felt like by going back they still will get an excellent player at 12, because there’s going to be a minimum, a minimum, of four quarterbacks and very possibly five quarterbacks — in fact, I think there will be five quarterbacks taken before the Eagles select at 12.
So now you’re getting one of seven other players and we can go through the list right here and come up with seven that they would really like, and so what Howie’s thinking, I believe, by going back to 12 is, he still gets one of the seven best non-quarterbacks in this draft and he is now armed potentially with three first-round picks next year, which is the ultimate quarterback insurance.
Adam Schefter breaks down the Eagles thinking when they traded back to 12
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Notre Dame QB Talks Eagles at Senior Bowl
Ian Book is an interesting name to remember as draft day approaches. The former Notre Dame quarterback revealed at his pro day that he talked with the Eagles during the Senior Bowl. He enthusiastically expressed interest in wanting to jump into the same quarterbacks room as Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco.
“I’d love to go there, I’d love to go anywhere and play but I’d love to go in there and compete obviously with Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco,” Book told reporters, via Matt Howe. “So, it would be an awesome opportunity to go in there and compete with all of them. I honestly like watching both of them play, especially Jalen, I’ve watched him play a lot of football and I kind of like his style. It would be a great opportunity for me.”
Here’s a guy we don’t spend a lot of time talking about:
Ian Book, Notre Dame.
This throw is fantastic. With a clean pocket, Book puts this on the outside and away from the DB, only where his receiver can get it.
Tony Dungy called it a 50/50 ball. No, that was 100/0.
The 6-foot, 210-pounder has been praised for his poise in the pocket, per Pro Football Network, and accuracy especially on short throws (read: dink and dunk). He also has decent mobility and good field vision. He threw for 8,948 yards and 72 touchdowns (20 interceptions) in 45 games.
The major knock — other than his smallish frame — has largely been in regard to his deep ball. Probably not a great fit for the vertically-ambitious Eagles, although he’s likely to be available in the fifth round and projects as a developmental player.
How About LSU WR Terrace Marshall?
LSU receiver Terrace Marshall also confirmed at his pro day that he’s had more than one conversation with the Eagles. He slid into Justin Jefferson’s slot role in college, but Marshall (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) made it clear he can play on the outside. He logged Marshall logged 48 passes for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games last year before opting out. He ran 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash on Wednesday.
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NFL Insider Talks Eagles Trade, Proposes ‘Ultimate QB Insurance’