New England Patriots: Why Jalen Hurts should succeed Tom Brady

While national media speculates which veteran quarterback will be Tom Brady’s successor, here’s why one college standout should be the next New England Patriots signal-caller.

If you are familiar with my areas of interest, then you know that I love talking about who could be the next New England Patriots quarterback. In the past, I have made some pretty bold predictions about who could replace Tom Brady.

However, I have never felt more strongly about a particular heir-apparent than I do now – which is why I am putting in writing that I believe Jalen Hurts should be the future of the Patriots.

A little over three years ago, Jalen Hurts was a play away from winning a national championship as a true freshman. College football experts saw him as an elite talent and a clutch performer. Had his defense held up behind him, Hurts would have been remembered as the man who beat Deshaun Watson on the biggest stage.

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Fast forward a year later and Hurts was benched for Tua Tagovailoa at halftime of his second national championship game. Tua would go on and lead the Alabama Crimson tide to victory, capturing the elusive title for his team. During his first two years, Hurts finished with a 26-2 record as a starter. In his junior season, he earned significant playing time despite being a backup and once again proved his reliability when he executed a game-winning performance off the bench in the SEC championship game.

Once it became clear that Tagovailoa would be ‘Bama’s starter going forward, Hurts used his last year of NCAA eligibility to play at Oklahoma. Yet again, he proved to be a dominant quarterback, recording 3,851 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns along with 1,298 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. If it wasn’t for Joe Burrow’s exemplary and historic campaign, Hurts would easily have won the Heisman Trophy.

But despite all of this success and his stellar résumé, Hurts is not considered to be a top draft prospect. Todd McShay suggests he could be a Day 3 selection, not going until the 3rd or 4th round. Mel Kiper Jr. speculates he could go a high as the second round, but certainly not in the first. Therefore, Hurts could end up being a tremendous value pick.

If this is the case, I definitely believe the New England Patriots should draft him. He’s a dual-threat quarterback with a winning background. His tenure at ‘Bama and championship pedigree could make him a great fit with Bill Belichick and his coaching staff. And when you consider the fact that Hurts is still a very humble kid even with his success, it’s not out of the question that he’d assimilate to the Patriot Way.

Furthermore, with the league heading in the direction of dual-threat quarterbacks, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Josh McDaniels and company took a chance on an offense centered around Hurts. It somewhat reminds me of their opportunity to draft Lamar Jackson two years ago.

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Current backup Jarrett Stidham is a nice option and a solid competitor himself. If the New England Patriots move on from Tom Brady and use a veteran quarterback as a bridge, that could set them up decently well with Stidham for a few years or so. But if they want a QB who may be more NFL-ready, Hurts is the man for the future.

And no matter where Brady ends up, drafting Jalen Hurts at a value spot would be a fantastic move for the New England Patriots – one that could keep them competitive for years to come. In fact, I can see the No. 2 jerseys now on sale at Patriot Place. It looks fantastic.

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