3 Players the Eagles Should Draft in the First Round to Build Around Jalen Hurts

There's no denying that Jalen Hurts struggled in his playoff debut during disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, the second-year pro guided a mixed up Philadelphia Eagles roster to a playoff berth and showed a lot of improvement. The coaching staff has been adamant that he is the starter.

Philadelphia heads into the offseason with a whopping three first-round picks to take advantage of. It wouldn't be surprising to see the front office focus on getting Hurst some help. With that being said, here are three players the Eagles should select in the first round to build around their young QB.

Philadelphia Eagles NFL Draft

1. Chris Olave, WR (Ohio State)

Rookie wideout DeVonta Smith led the Eagles in receiving yards this season and has little help around him in the receiver room. Drafting a WR in the first round has to be on the minds of Philadelphia's front office. This class is filled with talented pass-catchers, including Ohio State's Chris Olave. Olave excelled at finding the end zone as a Buckeye, racking up a total of 35 touchdowns across 38 college games. He has the versatility to play outside or in the slot and is one of the best deep threats in the country. Adding him to the offense would give Hurts a much-needed offensive weapon that is capable of getting open on every play.

2. Treylon Burks, WR (Arkansas)

One name flying under the radar in this WR class is Treylon Burks out of Arkansas. The big-bodied pass-catcher stands in at 6-foot-3 and weighs 225 pounds. He shined while playing out of the slot with the Razorbacks and used his frame to regularly run over defenders after the catch. Not only that, but Burks has proven to be great at hauling in contested catches. That could come in handy as Hurts works to improve on his accuracy. Philadelphia finished the NFL season with the fourth-fewest passing yards in the NFL (3,585). Meanwhile, Burks averaged 16.7 yards per catch and posted 1,104 receiving yards this past fall.

3. Tyler Linderbaum, OL (Iowa)

The Eagles are seemingly set at tight end with Dallas Goedert as well as running back with Miles Sanders. Aside from adding a WR, Hurts would benefit from more depth along the offensive line. 11-year pro Jason Kelce's career could be over as he continues to contemplate his eventual retirement. That makes drafting Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum a smart idea. Linderbaum is heralded as a once-in-a-decade type prospect and explodes off the snap. He has the athleticism needed to get to the second level during run plays and the size to keep defensive linemen in their place. Drafting him to take over at center should not be overlooked as an option here.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.