The Philadelphia Eagles could be looking at a dynamic young quarterback.
Although the Eagles have found their franchise quarterback in Jalen Hurts, the team could always use a long-term backup. With Gardner Minshew due to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Philadelphia could find an ideal replacement in UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell notes, Thompson-Robinson is likely to be a Day 2 or early Day 3 pick, meaning he could be drafted at the end of the third round or early in the fourth round. Barnwell explains that the Eagles’ run game and play-action concepts meshes well with Thompson-Robinson’s dual-threat abilities.
“The Eagles’ diverse run game and play-action concepts heavily involving their tight ends fits with Thompson-Robinson,” says Barnwell. “Jalen Hurts appears to be the answer moving forward, but with Gardner Minshew becoming a free agent after the season, the franchise could look to draft a developmental player here.”
Eagles Could Find Long-Term Backup in UCLA QB
The Eagles’ other quarterback, Ian Book, has very limited experience. The second-year player has just one game to his name, completing 12-of-20 passes for 135 yards with two interceptions as a member of the New Orleans Saints last season.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior operated one of the most “efficient” offensive attacks in the country, as Barnwell notes. Thompson-Robinson threw for 2,883 passing yards and 25 touchdowns in addition to rushing for 631 yards and 11 touchdowns. Among all quarterbacks, Thompson-Robinson ranked seventh among all players at his position in rushing yards.
Thompson-Robinson’s dual-threat ability is something that the Eagles’ current backup QB, Minshew, does not posses. In other words, Philadelphia is not able to run the same type of offense with Minshew when Hurts is injured.
“Thompson-Robinson also showcased his dual-threat ability this season, with 631 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground,” says Barnwell. “He adds another dimension to a team’s offense with his ability to scramble and pick up first downs on designed QB runs.”
Hurts Likely to Miss Games Every Season
Prior to Hurts’ shoulder injury, he had appeared in 97 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. The MVP candidate also missed one game last season due to an ankle injury.
Considering how many hits Hurts takes as a dual-threat quarterback running Philadelphia’s run-dominant offense — his 156 rushing attempts leads the league and his 35 sacks taken ranks eighth in the league — featuring a backup QB who has a similar skill set to Hurts is pivotal.
It’s very likely to expect Hurts to miss a couple games every season due to the wear-and-tear of running the Eagles’ offense. Philadelphia ranks second in the league in rushing attempts.
NFL Draft Buzz goes into detail how much of an athlete Thompson-Robinson is as a quarterback.
“Physically, Thompson-Robinson is a natural athlete who plays with the balance and light feet to float in the pocket. He’s a pure athlete, loose-limbed and flexible. Thompson-Robinson has the speed to pick up yardage in scramble situations. He’s good enough as a runner to work read-option plays, keeping back-side defenders in place. Good (not elite) arm strength and can easily make all the NFL throws with effortless deep passes.”
Considering Hurts is 24 years old and Thompson-Robinson is 23, the Eagles could be looking at the long-term backup for their franchise player.
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Eagles Could Land ‘Accurate’ Dual-Threat QB: Analyst