Should the Eagles Draft a QB? The Drew Allar Debate

Nobody Wants to Talk About It

There's a conversation happening in Eagles circles that nobody really wants to have: should Philadelphia draft a quarterback?

Jalen Hurts just won a Super Bowl. He's the franchise. This isn't a debate about the starter. This is about the backup position, the developmental pipeline, and whether the Eagles can afford to ignore quarterback in a draft where the class is universally panned.

The answer might surprise you: this weak QB class could actually work in Philadelphia's favor.

The State of the 2026 QB Class

Let's be blunt: this is not a good year for quarterbacks. Fernando Mendoza is the consensus number one overall pick and will go to whoever has the top selection. After that, the dropoff is significant.

Garrett Nussmeier out of LSU is the current QB2 on most boards, but his 2025 season was plagued by injuries — a shoulder issue in training camp and a torso injury before the season opener tanked his ball velocity and limited his deep throws. He's a multiple-year starter and son of an NFL coach with legitimate accuracy, but his stock has slipped.

Ty Simpson (Alabama) is a one-year starter with accuracy concerns. Carson Beck (Georgia) has durability questions. Beyond them, it gets murky fast.

And that's where it gets interesting for the Eagles.

The Drew Allar Argument

If the Eagles are going to take a quarterback on Day 2, Drew Allar from Penn State is the name that keeps coming back. He's got the physical traits — size, arm strength, and the kind of tools that you can develop in an NFL system.

Allar didn't have a dominant college career. Penn State fans know the inconsistency better than anyone. But the traits are there, and traits are what you draft when you're picking a developmental quarterback. You're not drafting his college tape — you're drafting his ceiling.

The Eagles have been here before. They drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round when Carson Wentz was the starter, and the fanbase lost its collective mind. Two years later, Hurts was the starter, and now he's a Super Bowl champion. The lesson? Drafting a quarterback when you don't "need" one can be the smartest move you make.

Allar in the second or third round, sitting behind Hurts for two years, developing in a system with elite coaching and infrastructure? That's not crazy. That's prudent.

The Dark Horse: Cole Payton, NDSU

Here's a name that flew under the radar until very recently: Cole Payton from North Dakota State. Yes, that North Dakota State — the same program that produced Carson Wentz.

Payton was a Walter Payton Award finalist (no relation to the award namesake) and has the kind of small-school production that generates combine buzz. The Eagles have a direct pipeline to NDSU quarterbacks, and it worked spectacularly the first time around.

Could Payton be a Day 2 dark horse? It's possible. If his combine performance — particularly the throwing sessions — opens eyes, he could jump from a Day 3 projection into the second or third round.

The comparison to Wentz isn't direct — Payton is a different player in a different era — but the path from NDSU to the Eagles is well-worn. And in a weak QB class, the relative value of a Cole Payton pick increases.

The Counter-Argument

The strongest case against drafting a QB is simple: the Eagles have too many other needs. Edge rusher, offensive tackle, wide receiver, tight end, interior offensive line, cornerback depth — the list is long. Spending a Day 2 pick on a player who won't contribute for two years is a luxury that a team in win-now mode might not be able to afford.

That's a fair point. But it was the same argument against drafting Hurts in 2020, and history proved the pick right.

The Verdict

Don't force it. If Drew Allar or Cole Payton falls to a value spot on Day 2 and the board has already addressed a primary need, take the shot. The backup quarterback market is expensive — $6-8 million for mediocre options — and homegrown development is both cheaper and higher-ceiling.

The 2026 QB class isn't inspiring. But for a team looking for a developmental backup, the weakness of the class might push legitimate talents into value range.

It's worth the conversation. Even if nobody wants to have it.