Los Angeles (AFP) – The Philadelphia Eagles went for a highly regarded backup for their starting quarterback Carson Wentz by taking Jalen Hurts in the second round of the NFL’s first ever virtual draft on Friday.
Hurts, who played US college last season for the Oklahoma Sooners, was taken with the 53rd overall pick during Friday’s second day of the entry draft.
The Eagles’ move came as a bit of a surprise after they recently signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million extension.
The Eagles could be planning to groom the 21-year-old Hurts into their starter one day or he could serve as insurance in case the injury-prone Wentz goes down.
That was the case in 2017 when Wentz got injured and backup Nick Foles had to step in to complete Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run.
The Eagles now have a trio of quarterbacks as Hurts joins Wentz and Nate Sudfeld, who was recently re-signed to a one-year deal.
The draft was held remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic, with commissioner Roger Goodell announcing the picks from the basement of his home.
Thursday’s showing was the most watched draft in NFL history with more than 15.6 million viewers tuning in. The previous mark was 12.4 million for the 2014 draft.
After taking coveted quarterback Joe Burrow No. 1 overall on Thursday, the Cincinnati Bengals followed up by choosing receiver Tee Higgins of Clemson University with the first pick in Friday’s second round.
The second round began with two receivers being picked in a row, as the Indianapolis Colts grabbed USC’s Michael Pittman at 34th overall.
The Detroit Lions grabbed Georgia running back D’Andre Swift with the 35th pick overall.
The New England Patriots made their first pick in the post-Tom Brady era by taking safety Kyle Dugger of little-known Lenoir-Rhyne University with the 37th pick. New England did not have a pick in the first round.
The first non-US player taken in the second round was Canadian receiver Chase Claypool, who was chosen 49th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Claypool, from Vancouver, Canada, played four seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish where he had a breakout season in 2019 by scoring 13 touchdowns and making 66 catches.
Claypool, who runs a 4.42sec 40-yard dash, is just one of a handful of Canadian wide receivers, including former Minnesota Viking Nate Burleson, who have ever been drafted into the NFL.
The Detroit Lions used their third round pick to take England-born defensive end Julian Okwara.
Okwara was born in London while his mother was visiting family. He was raised in both Nigeria and the United States. His brother, Romeo Okwara, also played at Notre Dame and now plays in the NFL for the Lions