Jalen Hurts may have lost more than his starting spot with his first-half performance in the National Championship Game against Georgia, he may have lost any shot at making the NFL as a quarterback.

During a Thursday media teleconference, ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper shared his thoughts on the Alabama quarterback. According to Kiper, Hurts doesn’t have the arm to make it to the NFL. Although he could see potentially see Hurts making the league at another position.

This quote from Kiper comes via Michael Casagrande of AL.com:

“Just did enough in the passing game to get by. When they needed more, they went to Tua (Tagovailoa) and they got it. So, who knows? Nick (Saban) isn’t going to discard a Jalen Hurts, but to say he’s a pro prospect right now, I’d say no. I don’t think — as a quarterback — I wouldn’t say he was an NFL quarterback prospect. But we’ll see if he could maybe make a change to another position down the road.”

It’s an interesting thought but not a complete surprise by Kiper. Hurts has yet to show the ability to consistently beat good defenses from the pocket with his arm. Until he develops that skill, if he does at all, he’s not a realistic NFL QB prospect. That skill will be even tougher to acquire if he doesn’t regain his place on the field over Tua Tagovailoa.