3 Quarterbacks Philadelphia Eagles could have taken instead of Hurts

Might Anthony Gordon have been a nice addition for this Philadelphia Eagles offense?

Washington State head coach Mike Leach has had a quarterback drafted in each of the last three years including Anthony Gordon in 2020.

In 2018, it was Luke Falk who finished his college career with a 68.3 completion percentage, 14,481 passing yards, and 119 passing touchdowns versus 39 interceptions in 42 career games. Unfortunately, Falk has seen limited playing time in the NFL and when he was on the field, he was behind an atrocious New York Jets offensive line.

In 2019, it was Gardner Minshew who spent just one season at Washington State but put up a 70.7 completion percentage, 4,779 passing yards, and 38 passing touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He also led the team to an 11-2 record and they finished 10th in the final rankings after not being ranked to start the year.

Now it’s Anthony Gordon who didn’t start until his senior season but had an impressive year nonetheless. Washington State didn’t enjoy the same success as a team, but Gordon did what he could and finished with a 71.6 completion percentage, 5,579 passing yards, and 48 passing touchdowns versus 16 interceptions.

Sure, you can argue that Leach’s air raid offense inflates the stats and deems them meaningless. Still, all three of these guys have done a good job of protecting the ball and the air raid offense has prepared them to make a variety of throws that has helped them develop into pro-level quarterbacks. Playing in a balanced NFL offense can only help them develop.