Here’s a fun question worth asking in light of the circumstances. Would Chicago Bears fans take Jalen Hurts over Andy Dalton right now? One can safely assume a strong contingent of them would say yes. The former Oklahoma and Alabama standout had a wild college career. He won a national championship in 2017, lost his job the next year to Tua Tagovailoa, transferred to a new school, and played well enough to become a 2nd round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles last year.
Now he’s the projected starter going into 2021 though rumors persist the Eagles might be looking elsewhere. All that being said, Hurts has plenty of supporters throughout the football community. That brings us back to the original question. Would Bears fans prefer him to Dalton? If so, they have ties to the next version of Hurts. At least according to Hall of Fame exec Gil Brandt who compared Texas standout Sam Ehlinger to the Eagles quarterback.
“Ehlinger isn’t one of the buzziest prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he might be one of the most driven players available. After losing his job with the Crimson Tide, Hurts moved on to Oklahoma, where he made himself into an eventual second-round draft pick who became the Eagles’ starter late in his rookie year.
As for Ehlinger, he wanted to be a Texas quarterback, and despite starting his collegiate career as a backup, he accomplished that. While he’s likely to end up being drafted as a backup with good passing skills, who knows what might come next? Though he didn’t rack up the yardage on the ground like Hurts did, Ehlinger can use his legs (1,903 rushing yards, 33 career rushing TDs).”
Ehlinger had a productive college career to be sure.
He played in 46 total games, threw for over 11,000 yards, 94 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. He never had a losing season as a starter and was a perfect 4-0 in bowl games including a big win in the Sugar Bowl over Georgia in 2018. The guy did everything there almost is to do in college. Yet he’s not getting near the buzz that Hurts did a year ago. So what gives?
Part of it is not playing at more successful programs. Texas isn’t nearly what it once was. Especially not compared to Alabama and Oklahoma. His story also isn’t as “Hollywood” in terms of its twists and turns. That isn’t his fault. It’s just reality. So why is he rated as a mid round pick by most experts where some thought Hurts was a threat to be a 1st rounder? It comes down to the arm.
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While Ehlinger has size, mobility and solid accuracy teams worry about his average arm strength. Too many of his throws seem to lack velocity and his deep ball isn’t at a level that will scare NFL defenses. He has a limited ceiling and the draft is all about how high your ceiling is.
Been asking around about the best interviews teams have had this process (Sept – now).
At quarterback, three names mentioned the most:
1. Mac Jones (by far the most mentions)
2. Trey Lance
3. Sam Ehlinger
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 22, 2021
If Ehlinger is Jalen Hurts 2.0, the Bears know all about it
They have an advantage that other NFL teams don’t. They now employ the coach who molded the quarterback through his entire college career in Tom Herman. He was the head coach at Texas during that span and played a pivotal role in the success Ehlinger had. He can tell the Bears everything they could ever want to know about the quarterback. What he’s like in the locker room. What his strengths and weaknesses are mentally. All the info other teams may struggle to get.
However, there is one notable concern regarding this connection.
Ehlinger asked if Herman got the most out of these players, or if coaching in general is the problem: "That’s the million dollar question everybody’s trying to figure out the last 10 years."
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) November 27, 2020
Rumors have persisted for months that a rift had formed at some point between Herman and Ehlinger. Much of it due to the frustrations of Texas not achieving as much as they should’ve after such a promising step forward in 2018. Comments like the one above are what fanned those flames. For his part, Herman never alluded to any such divide existing even as it became clear he was leaving the program.
The good news? He won’t be the one coaching Ehlinger.
That would fall to Matt Nagy, Bill Lazor, and John DeFilippo. Whether the kid is the next Jalen Hurts probably doesn’t matter. By the sound of things, the Bears are planning to get their quarterback early in the draft. Most likely the 1st or 2nd round. So unless they plan to take two quarterbacks (which is always possible) then Ehlinger won’t be much of a discussion worth having.
