Oklahoma Sooners coach Lincoln Riley has produced back-to-back first-overall picks in the NFL draft with quarterbacks Baker Mayfield in 2018 and Kyler Murray in 2019. So why isn’t Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts getting hyped to be a first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft?

Hurts is a polarizing prospect, with Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling putting the quarterback in the second round and ESPN’s NFL draft insider Mel Kiper putting him in the fourth- or fifth-round. Kiper said Hurts took a “monumental leap” as a passer this season, but he still doesn’t envision Hurts going in the first three rounds. Here’s what Kiper said on Nov. 7 on ESPN — he’s describing the type of player that will tantalize talent evaluators.

“I think he’s developing into that (a franchise quarterback). Nobody ever thought he would be. I think his development started two years ago at Alabama. He looked like a different quarterback from what he was, so it’s not just what’s happened with Lincoln (Riley), who has done a great job at it. He is a quarterback whisperer, and he is a quarterback mind. But I think it started under Nick Saban at Alabama, and I think if you look at where Jalen is right now at Oklahoma, he could end up being a fourth- or fifth-round pick. Not early, but I think day three is when I think somebody brings him in to the fold. … You know there’s a kid who has an enormous skillset in terms of the mindset of a quarterback — he has it — the willingness to do all the things necessary to develop the skills that he has.”

Hurts’ game against Baylor on Saturday should help his case to keep moving up draft boards (and to stay in the college football playoff hunt). Admittedly Baylor’s passing defense — from a schematic and talent standpoint — won’t challenge Hurts in ways that feels comparable to the NFL. But the Bears did challenge Hurts mentally, and he responded by leading his team on a 25-point comeback. (It’s a deficit Tom Brady knows can be a challenging one to overcome. **cough** 28-3 **cough**)

His first-half stats (8/14 for 80 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) were vastly different than his second-half stats (22/29, 217 yards, 3 TDs). I hate to say it but perhaps he has that “it” factor — the unquantifiable element that seems so necessary for underdog quarterbacks like Brady, Russell Wilson and Drew Brees. Because make no mistake: Hurts is an underdog. (Comparisons to Brady, Wilson and Brees are premature. I’m sorry I’m incidentally making them.) Hurts is not a polished product, particularly when looking at his abilities as a pocket passer. He got benched in a national championship game in a 2017 season at Alabama when he completed 60.8% percent of his passes for 2,081 yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception. Those are paltry numbers when compared to his 2019 stats — which have him solidly in the Heisman race.

Under Riley, Hurts has showed physical tools that are just ridiculous. He has 152 carries 983 yards and 15 touchdowns. (15 RUSHING TDS!) That’s a pace that will wallop what Murray did last season (140 rushes, 1,001 yards and 12 TDS).

But of course, Hurts’ production as a runner is, perhaps, a product of his shortcomings as a passer. Hurts’ counting stats are likely to finish below what Murray and Mayfield accomplished in their final seasons under Riley. But from an efficiency standpoint, Hurts has been stellar. He is completing 73% of his passes for 12.3 yards per attempt. That’s better than Murray (69%, 11.0) and Mayfield (70.5%, 11.5).

This isn’t to say that Hurts is a better pro prospect than those players (although, he’s probably a better college football player.) The question will be whether an NFL team is interested and confident enough to customize an NFL system around Hurts’ unique gifts, while developing his passing abilities, much like the Baltimore Ravens did with Lamar Jackson, another outside-the-box but electric threat. And just like Jackson snuck into the back end of the first round, Hurts seems like the type of prospect who could do the same, as the hype continues to grow.