Players' vote holds Jalen Hurts in higher regard than some
On Monday night, the NFL revealed the rankings of the top-10 players ahead of the 2023 regular season, as voted upon by the players themselves. For the second time in three seasons, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes earned the top spot. Minnesota receiver Justin Jefferson, last season's Offensive Player of the Year, landed at No. 2.
At No. 3 is a player who didn't make last season's top 100 but came within three points of a Super Bowl victory in February: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts finished ahead of high-profile quarterbacks Joe Burrow of Cincinnati (ranked sixth) and Josh Allen of Buffalo (eighth). Burrow and Allen are generally considered better quarterbacks than Hurts because of their passing statistics, but the added dynamic that Hurts brings rushing cannot be ignored.
According to Stathead from Sports Reference, Hurts' 23 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons are tied for second most in the NFL — and that includes running backs. Hurts is tied with Derrick Henry of Tennessee and trailing only Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hurts' third-place ranking is sure to rile his critics.
In June, NBC Sports' Chris Simms ranked Hurts as the seventh-best quarterback. In January, he claimed that there wasn't much of a gap between Hurts and New York Giants QB Daniel Jones.
In Simms' 2021 rankings of the top-40 quarterbacks in the NFL, Hurts didn't make the cut. Instead, Simms included the likes of Sam Darnold, Taysom Hill, Zach Wilson, Drew Lock, Tyrod Taylor, Trey Lance, Case Keenum and Kellen Mond — yes, the same Kellen Mond who started the Hall of Fame Game for Cleveland on Thursday.
What a difference two years make.
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