As of Tuesday, August 11th, two major football conferences canceled their Fall seasons and thousands of student-athletes will not be able to showcase their skills for NFL teams in 2020. With the Big 10 and the Pac-12 canceled, it seems as though it's only a matter of time before other major conferences follow suit. Howie Roseman and the Eagles will be keeping their eyes peeled.
Barring a last minute change of conferences, the affected schools so far are:
IllinoisIndianaIowaMarylandMichiganMichigan StateMinnesotaNebraskaNorthwesternOhio StatePenn StatePurdueRutgersWisconsinCaliforniaOregonOregon StateStanfordWashingtonWashington StateArizonaArizona StateColoradoUCLAUSCUtah
That's a whole lot of schools not playing in the Fall. As more conferences follow, it could further Howie Roseman's ability to get a king's ransom in 2021 for a certain second-round pick in 2020.
When the Eagles selected Jalen Hurts in the second round, people were outraged due to the (1) position selected and (2) round in which he was selected. Of course, Howie couldn't foresee the chaos the Fall would be for college football, but his "quarterback factory" selection could prove that choice to be the best pick for the future of the team.
The top three quarterbacks
The only top quarterback that is 100% affected so far is Ohio State's Justin Fields. Fields is already considered a top 5-10 selection in 2021, so losing the season shouldn't impact his draft stock too much.
Trey Lance, of North Dakota State, is scheduled to only have non-conference games in the Fall, as the Missouri Valley Conference moved its league games to the Spring. The other three non-conference games, however, have been canceled. The team is attempting to add three non-conference games, but Lance may not get a chance to improve his stock for the draft.
Trevor Lawrence, of Clemson, is still scheduled to have a full slate of games but even if the games are canceled, his number one selection is all but guaranteed.
Those three quarterbacks are widely viewed as the only first-round prospects for the 2021 draft. With no games in 2020, other quarterbacks will not have the chance to shine and move up draft boards.
Enter Howie Roseman & The Eagles
If the conferences do all cancel, Howie Roseman finds himself in a powerful position. Sure, the team could hold on to Hurts to continue to have a very good back up to Wentz, but if a team misses out on the top three quarterbacks there could be a chance to send Hurts to a QB needy team for Sam Bradford-type deal.
Some of you may say "well, in a perfect world Hurts doesn't play. How will teams see any 2020 film on him?" As with the top three quarterbacks, Hurts will always have his collegiate film. But the cherry on top for Hurts is that when the 2021 draft comes around, he'll have a season under Doug Pederson's tutelage in his arsenal. Let's not forget the idea of 2-QB sets with the Eagles.
Who do you think teams will take a chance on? A second-year quarterback who learned from one of the best quarterback developers in the league, or a rookie who didn't get to play organized football in 2020? I think you know the answer.
Continued on the page below.
Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Who can come calling?
The oddsmakers have the Jaguars, Redskins, and Bengals as the least likely to win the Super Bowl, thus in the running for the first overall pick. Of those three, the Jaguars make the most sense for Lawrence, but the Redskins linger as a possibility if they end up with that pick.
The Panthers and Bears are two teams that are in the bottom heap of the Super Bowl odds that could be in the market for a QB in 2021, so Fields and Lance may end up on those teams.
However, there are always teams looking toward to future as they get ready to move on from incumbents.
New York Jets
I know, I know, Mr. Mono Darnold is there. But if 2020 is another down year for the former third overall pick, Joe Douglas may get on the phone to call his buddy Howie. A new coach may be on the horizon for the Jets and if a college coach makes the jump (Lincoln Riley, anyone?), then that coach may want to start fresh with his own choice at quarterback.
Las Vegas Raiders
Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota, two quarterbacks fighting for their careers in 2020. With Carr having zero winning seasons in six years, the pressure is on to show that he is worth keeping around in the new city.
Mariota has yet to play a full 16 game season. But if he plays and showcases his ability, he may set himself up for a free-agent deal elsewhere.
There were rumblings of a Hurts/Raiders connection at the combine, so Jon Gruden may want to revisit that connection next Spring.
Cleveland Browns
What's a quarterback article without mentioning the Browns?
With a new coach in 2020, as with almost every year prior, the Browns' Baker Mayfield has one more chance to prove he was worth the number one overall selection for Cleveland. Mayfield does have 49 passing touchdowns through two seasons, but that comes with 35 interceptions and a 12-17 record. Sure he finally brought some wins to Cleveland, but new coach Kevin Stefanski may look to move on after 2020 if Mayfield continues his downward trend.
The Browns did interview Hurts prior to the draft and this alone gives the Eagles leverage.
Pittsburgh Steelers
It seems as though every year Ben Roethlisberger is contemplating retirement. After playing only two games in his 16th season, Big Ben is looking to rebound in his 17th and make people remember just how good he is. But after the season, could he be gone?
If he does retire, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph, Paxton Lynch, and Devlin Hodges waiting in the wings. Lynch has been a bust, Hodges went 3-3 for the Steelers in 2019 with five touchdowns and eight interceptions, and Rudolph went 5-3 with 13 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a huge headache.
Adding Hurts could bring a fun dynamic for the offense with JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner.
Indianapolis Colts
Frank Reich. The man who many fans hold accountable for the success of the 2017 Eagles.
He currently has soon-to-be 39-year-old Phillip Rivers at quarterback and underwhelming Jacoby Brissett as the backup.
A year under Pederson's tutelage would prove very valuable for Frank Reich and could lead to a deal being made between the Colts and Eagles.
Frank Reich helped Carson Wentz become an MVP candidate in 2017, helped Andrew Luck have a near-career year in his final year in 2018 and coached up Brissett to a career-high in touchdowns in 2019, he could be licking his chops to get a prospect like Hurts.
The Colts were heavy favorites to land Hurts in the draft at pick 44, but traded up to 41 to draft running back Jonathan Taylor. They could've targeted Hurts later in the draft but obviously weren't able to.
Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
