Jalen Hurts named as top-five NFL QB by Justin Jefferson, but he ignores Kirk Cousins

This may not be the case in every city where professional football is played, but in the City of Brotherly Love, the careers of all-world wide receiver Justin Jefferson and former Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Reagor will always be compared to one another. There probably isn't a Birds fan on Planet Earth that doesn't know why that's the case. Then again, we don't want to leave anyone out, so just in case you're a casual fan, here's a brief explanation.

Once upon a time, the 2020 NFL Draft to be exact, the Birds and Minnesota Vikings sat patiently in wait for their turns to make selections with the 21st and 22nd picks respectively. Both teams needed a wide receiver, and there was a wealth of available talent at the position. There was no way the Eagles could screw things up. At least that's what we thought.

Three wideouts were taken before the announcement was made that the Eagles were on the clock. Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, and CeeDee Lamb were all off of the board. That left Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, and Tee Higgins as the best available options. Philly ignored them all to go with Jalen Reagor. The Vikes chose Jefferson one spot later. Again, there isn't an Eagles fan walking that doesn't know how that turned out.

Years after the Eagles ignored Justin Jefferson, it's still hard to avoid pondering what might have been. Recently, he named his favorite QBs.

They say hindsight is seen in 20/20 vision. That's true to some extent, but in the case of Jefferson versus Reagor, most knew Philly's decision to ignore the former LSU star was a mistake almost immediately.

The story got stranger as it went on. These days the two are teammates. Philly gave up on Reagor after two seasons and traded him on August 31st to Minnesota in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round draft choice and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024. Fast forward to the present, and it appears that Jefferson is a fan of Jalen Hurts.

J.J. and Jalen's teams battled in the 2019 Peach Bowl. They came oh so close to being teammates at the professional level. Recently, Justin named the five guys he sees as being the NFL's best signal-callers. Jalen Hurts made the cut along with Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen. Don't take our word for it. Take a look for yourselves.

If you were listening for Kirk Cousin's name, you are not alone. Yes, you are correct! He wasn't mentioned. That's another story for another day. We just thought that was interesting.

As easy as it is to daydream about what might have been had Jefferson wound up in Philly, in the end, things turned out okay. Had the Eagles taken Jefferson in 2020, arguments can be made that DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown wouldn't be on the roster now. As far as the Jalen Reagor versus Justin Jefferson conversation is concerned, that's a decision that may be talked about from time to time in the City of Brotherly Love forever.

Reagor caught 64 passes for 695 yards in an Eagles jersey, and he reached the end zone three times as a receiver and once as a punt returner. Jefferson has been named a Second-Team All-Pro twice (2020, 2021), a First-Team All-Pro in 2022, and a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons. Regardless of how you slice things, it's easy to see the Vikes won in that deal handily.

Check out these other Eagles stories as well!