Emmanuel Acho Dismisses Latest QB Rankings From League Execs, Coaches, and Scouts for Placing Jalen Hurts 9th

Saquon Barkley was probably the most important player for the Philadelphia Eagles for 95 percent of their Super Bowl-winning season last year. But in that final game, in Super Bowl 59, quarterback Jalen Hurts stepped up in a big way.

Hurts rushed for over 600 yards and 14 touchdowns and had a passer rating of 103.7 during the regular season, but he threw for under 3,000 yards and tossed just 18 touchdowns. He wasn’t really a needle-mover apart from the Tush Push. However, in the Super Bowl, he threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns. His 119.7 passer rating ranked 14th in Super Bowl history, his 10.0 yards per attempt ranked 10th, and his 77.3 completion percentage was fifth. No wonder he won Super Bowl MVP.

Despite that star turn on the biggest stage in the NFL against the league’s current dynastic team in the Kansas City Chiefs, Hurts continues to be underestimated and disrespected. In a recent ESPN poll of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, Hurts was ranked way down at ninth. And that didn’t sit right with FS1 pundit Emmanuel Acho, who was quick to come to the QB’s defense.

“To me, it’s absolutely asinine that Jalen Hurts is not in the top five… Bare minimum top six,” Acho said via The Facility.

“And for me, it’s very simple: Jalen Hurts wins at a high clip… You can’t just tell me, ‘Well, Jalen Hurts has such a good team.’ There have been a lot of good teams that fall short, and been a lot of good teams where the quarterback isn’t Super Bowl MVP.”

Acho went on to say that he would rank Hurts fifth on the list behind the big four: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson. He reasoned that Hurts has accomplished a lot more already than the other guys that are ranked above him, apart from that aforementioned foursome.

“Jalen Hurts, regular season All-Pro, he’s checked that off. Super Bowl, he’s checked that off. Super Bowl MVP, he’s checked that off.”

Acho then went down the line of the other four guys ahead of Hurts on ESPN’s list and argued that Hurts has a much better resume than each of them. And while we hate to say it, Acho makes a good point here — it’s not really close.

Jayden Daniels (No. 5 on the list) had an otherworldly rookie season. But it was just that, a rookie season. He hasn’t shown he can do it again, and he hasn’t earned nearly the hardware Hurts has. Matthew Stafford is almost 40 and has the same number of Pro Bowls as Hurts (2) and no All-Pros or Super Bowl MVPs.

Justin Herbert (No. 7) is loved by offensive gurus everywhere, and he seems to have immense potential that could very well bloom in 2025. But like Daniels, he has yet to prove anything. In fact, Daniels already has two more playoff wins than Herbert despite the L.A. Chargers QB playing four more seasons in the NFL.

Jared Goff (No. 8) has also never been an All-Pro and is just 4-5 in the playoffs. Jalen Hurts is 6-3. And there’s no chance you can make the argument that Goff hasn’t had the type of elite weapons in Detroit that Hurts has had in Philly.

All in all, believe it or not, Acho’s argument for Hurts being No. 5 is pretty sound. It’s rare, but sometimes he is right. It’s like a shooting star.