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Odds Favor Jake Fromm Being Selected Before Jalen Hurts in 2020 NFL Draft

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in NFL Football

Updated Apr 1, 2020 · 6:29 AM PDT

Jake Fromm looking downfield
Oddsmakers favor Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm coming off the NFL Draft board earlier that Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts. Photo by Tammy Anthony Baker (Wiki Commons).
  • Oddsmakers favor Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm coming off the NFL Draft board earlier that Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts
  • What are the qualities that would make scouts consider Fromm a better NFL QB than Hurts?
  • Find analysis of the odds, picks, and predictions on this betting scenario below

Since the NCAA season ended, investments in Jake Fromm futures have taken a dip. At the same time, since the NFL Combine, there appears to be a surging bull market as investors assess the growth in Jalen Hurts.

Still, the oddsmakers remain in Fromm’s corner.

With the NFL Draft just a few weeks away, in a head-to-head wager on which of these two quarterbacks will be drafted first, Fromm of the Georgia Bulldogs is listed as the -159 odds-on favorite. Hurts is assigned a betting line of +130 in this market.

Jake Fromm or Jalen Hurts Odds Selected First in 2020 NFL Draft

Player Odds
Jake Fromm -159
Jalen Hurts +130

Odds taken April 1st

The NFL Draft is slated for April 23-25.

Fromm Here to . . . ?

Entering his senior season at Georgia, Fromm was forecast as a likely first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was viewed as the most NFL-ready of all the quarterback prospects likely to enter the draft.

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he’s slightly smaller in stature in comparison to some of the top NFL QBs but Fromm is often compared to former Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck, another who was thought to be on the slight side to be an NFL starter.

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Then Fromm went out and endured his worst season at Georgia. His completion percentage dropped from 67.4% to 60.8% and his yards per attempt from 9.0 to 7.4 Fromm’s touchdown passes dipped from 30 to 24, while his passer efficiency rating plummeted from 171.3 to 141.2.

Fromm’s difficulties continued at the NFL Combine. His evaluation there among scouts was mixed at best. He finished in the bottom third in the majority of drills.

Hurts So Good

Hurts appears to be trending in the opposite direction from Fromm. At the NFL Combine, the 2019 Heisman Trophy finalist ran the second-fastest 40 (4.59 seconds) and from all accounts, was an impressive interview when teams sat down to speak to him.

More significantly, Hurts is displaying much better throwing technique since he began working with QB guru Quincy Avery. Scouts commented on the improvements in Hurts’ delivery of the football. They see a much tighter motion when he throws the ball.

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Where scouts see value in Hurts at the NFL level is in his versatility. Among current NFLers, the most common comparison is to Taysom Hill of the New Orleans Saints.

With his mobility, Hurts can be equally valuable running the ball as he could be passing it. Putting him on the field in packages along with the starting QB would present some unique schemes for defenses to try and decipher.

Who Goes First?

Whether it’s Fromm or Hurts, both will be waiting until Day 2 of the NFL Draft to hear their name called. It’s entirely conceivable that both will be waiting until the third round before their selection.

Jake Fromm
VS
Jalen Hurts
43 Games 56
983 Attempts 1047
622 Completions 682
63.3 Completion % 65.1
8236 Passing Yardage 9477
78 TD 80
18 INT 20
156.2 Passer Rating 162.6

Scouts are viewing each QB more likely as an NFL backup than a starter. Football people envision Fromm as a game manager type. He doesn’t have the physical tools of Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. On the other hand, his football IQ is off the charts.

Hurts is more of an X-factor. There are ways he could help a team win beyond the time he might spend under center. In the long run, that could make him the more valuable commodity.

Pick: Jalen Hurts (+130).

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