Former Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd will reportedly try to make it in the NFL, according to WGFX 104.5’s Brent Dougherty.
Few will be surprised by this but I'm hearing former TN RB Jalen Hurd will indeed turn his attention towards the NFL.
— Brent Dougherty (@brentdougherty) December 5, 2016
Hurd shocked the college football world when he left the team the following the Week 9 South Carolina game, confirmed by coach Butch Jones on Oct. 31. At the time, Hurd’s departure was discussed as an intention to transfer, with the running back talking about his desire to be used at other positions such as tight end.
Saturday Down South talked about Hurd’s draft prospects with CBS Sports draft guru Rob Rang in November. Rang saw a potential future for Hurd as a pass-catcher:
SDS: While he’s certainly got the size necessary to be some sort of pass-catching tight end in the pros, he was at best a decent receiver out of the backfield in college. When you turn on the tape and watch him play, do you see a prospect capable of developing into a difference maker at that spot?
RR: In fact I do, maybe even as a slot receiver. I mentioned before about what running backs tend to do at that size. The one guy is Latavius Murray. I see similarities in their playing style and their size, and that’s what I think that you could see Jalen Hurd becoming. He’s a running back but also a guy who comes out and excels out of the backfield. That was something I saw about Jalen Hurd that impresses my perception of him at Tennessee, and I believe that he can make that transition.
Now, again, I don’t believe that means that he can be a hand-in-the-dirt, traditional tight end that’s going to be moving defensive ends and gets to the second level. I’m also doubting his ability as a route runner. I think he can at least be competitive at that spot, and I see his ability with the football in his hands is evident if he works on it.
For more of Rang’s thoughts on Hurd’s draft prospects, including the kind of questions NFL teams will be asking, click here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
