Jalen

Hurd

Hurd (6’5/228) ran ahead of Alvin Kamara as a three-year starting running back at Tennessee before transferring to Baylor for his final college season, where Hurd logged a 69/946/4 (13.7 YPR) receiving line and continued to dabble at tailback, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Physical with natural all-purpose talent, Hurd’s biggest NFL obstacle is his position fit. His best path toward success may come in a Cordarrelle Patterson-type role, creating selective mismatches and shining on special teams. The 49ers have now double-dipped at the receiver spot, selecting Hurd in the third-round after grabbing Deebo Samuel in the second-round.

Hurd (6'5/226) isn’t nearly the athlete Pryor is but still posted a 65th percentile speed score when adjusting his 4.69-second 40-yard dash for height and weight. Zierlein notes that Hurd “was used as big slot but he might need to transition into a role outside to take advantage of his potential to stretch the field as a downfield ball-winner.” The former running back has a lot of upside as a relatively raw receiver and should be off the board at some point towards the end of Day 2.

Hurd (6'5/226) isn’t expected to be a Day 1 starter since he’s new to the position, but he does offer a versatile skill-set as a former star running back. If Hurd is drafted near the Day 2/3 turn like expected, he’ll likely see NFL snaps in Year 1 mainly as a receiver, but don’t be shocked if he steals a few random carries here and there if he lands on the right team.

The analyst writes, “I want to put him higher, but not necessarily higher than some of the players I have in front of him.” This wide receiver class is strong and deep, so it’s hard to move up the rankings this year. Hurd (6'5/226), however, could make a small climb depending on his official testing numbers, ones that could show high-end athleticism. The former running back needs to polish his receiver skills, but there is starting-caliber upside if a team takes the time to develop him.

This would be great news for Hurd (6'5/226) who is returning from a knee injury and is still learning the position after starting as a running back at Tennessee. Hurd’s athletic abilities are very desirable, and he flashed enough skills as a receiver in his first year to warrant an early Day 3 selection. NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein anticipates Hurd to line up all over the field in the NFL and could even take snaps at running back, similarly to how the Patriots used Cordarrelle Patterson.

Hurd (6'5/226) didn’t participate at the NFL Scouting Combine due to a knee injury and his pro day results may impact his ranking, but this is pretty high praise by Zierlein in this deep wide receiver class. The analyst believes Hurd is best suited outside to spread out the defense downfield but also believes Hurd can work as a back around the goal line with his running back background. Still learning the position after transitioning to receiver, Hurd may be more of a late bloomer, but Zierlein is optimistic that there is a unique role awaiting Hurd at the next level.

Much of Kelly’s list of important pro day’s for wideouts are players that didn’t test their speed, and that qualifies for Hurd. He did, however, take part in the bench press, and he had one of the top rep counts with 22 in Indianapolis. That only answers some questions, in Kelly’s eyes. "...However, teams are still going to want to know about his top speed and explosiveness,” he writes, “to see just how high his potential ceiling is at his new position.” He’s one of the more intriguing -- but volatile -- prospects at the position, in our eyes.

The plan is for Hurd (6'4/227) to participate in those drills during his pro day. Hurd recently underwent an operation on his knee, and isn’t healthy enough -- and not willing to risk hurting himself further -- by participating in the drills in Indianapolis. He’s viewed as a Day 3 prospect, but this obviously is something teams will be keeping an eye on going forward.

Hurd (6'4/227) transitioned to wide receiver at Baylor after playing running back at Tennessee. Despite being a raw receiver, Hurd was pretty productive, catching 69 passes for 946 yards and four touchdowns. If he’s healthy, Hurd should post impressive NFL Combine scores, but he just had knee surgery in December, so that’s up in the air. At the next level, Hurd projects as a big, versatile play-maker who offers both receiving and rushing ability. However, he’s considered to be more developmental than an immediate contributor.

While Hurd did weigh in down in Mobile -- he measured 6-foot-4, 227 pounds, with 10 1/8-inch hands -- and is doing interviews with interested NFL teams on Tuesday, he will be sidelined for Saturday’s game proper due to his ongoing recovery from a knee surgery which he underwent on Dec. 4. We would love to get a glimpse at Hurd in this setting, but even sitting out the game, he is getting important work done with those interviews, as they give him an opportunity to speak honestly about his departure from Tennessee to Baylor as well as his transition from running back to receiver. We’ll have to wait and see whether the talented athlete will be able to participate in NFL Scouting Combine drills to any serious degree next month.