The quarterback factory could be getting replenished this offseason — at least according to one mock draft.
A new 2022 NFL Mock Draft on Pro Football Focus by Austin Gayle has the Eagles selecting Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral with the No. 11 overall pick. Instead of making Corral the starter, however, Gayle has the Eagles keeping Hurts as the starter for the 2022 season.
Gayle, who starts by stating that Hurts has played well this season, writes:
Give Hurts the starting nod (obviously) in 2022 and reward him if he continues to improve and lead Philly to successful postseason efforts. Corral will still have obvious value in a league where trades for Sam Darnold and Carson Wentz are receiving second-round picks on the open market. And if Hurts doesn’t rise to the occasion in 2022, give the reins to Corral and get an early start on finding the quarterback of the future.
With their other two first-round picks, Gayle has the Eagles taking Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams at No. 10 and Texas A&M defensive linemen DeMarvin Neal at No. 21.
Needless to say, the Eagles drafting Corral and then making him the backup for the 2022 season would cause the fanbase to explode in a way they haven’t since, well, the team took Hurts to be the backup to Wentz in 2020.
The idea of the Eagles adding a quarterback and then keeping Hurts might not be that crazy. Hurts might command a second-round pick back in a trade, but considering the Eagles just used a second-round pick on him, it is unlikely they would trade him for anything less. As frustrating as the idea of it might be, the Eagles adding a high-profile quarterback and then keeping Hurts shouldn’t be ruled out since they have shown before how much they value the position.
What would be surprising is if they drafted a quarterback at No. 11 overall and then sat him for an entire year.
While teams have done it before (San Francisco currently is), doing it in a city that has been overtaken by quarterback drama over the last few seasons seems close to impossible to pull off. The season would be dominated by discussion on when Corral will play. Hurts would have to play knowing the player that would eventually be taking his job is right behind him. It could cause locker room issues the way the Eagles’ quarterback controversies have in the past. Add in the already (likely correct) perception that the Eagles are not committed to Hurts, and having Hurts start in 2022 with Corral on the bench would be a disaster for the team.
That, of course, doesn’t mean they won’t do it — and the fact at least one mock draft predicts it could be a preview of what should be a wild offseason of quarterback drama for the Eagles.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!