Daron Payne explains what makes former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts special

Jalen Hurts is one of the 70 former Alabama Crimson Tide players in the NFL and it’s obvious they share a tight-knit bond no matter what professional team they play for.

It’s almost a badge of honor to say they were part of Nick Saban’s elite brotherhood, and whether teammates like Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen are playing side-by-side in Washington, or rivals like their former quarterback Jalen Hurts now the Eagles starting signal caller, there’s a deep mutual respect amongst Tide alumni who are playing professionally.

Payne, along with Allen were part of the Alabama squad when Jalen Hurts was the starting QB. The Washington big man has solidified his role as a run-stuffer and anchor in the middle of the Commanders defensive front — so for at least two weeks each Autumn — his former Alabama teammate and quarterback of the divisional rival, is now his target.

On Wednesday, Payne joined NFL Network’s Good Morning Football and was asked specifically about what stood out about Jalen Hurts from their college days back in Tuscaloosa.

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“Oh man, he’s a hard worker that dude is dedicated,” Payne said of this former Alabama Crimson Tide teammate. “He’s one of those guys after practice, he’s immediately in the weight room just getting it. He’s definitely dedicated to his craft.”

Payne then added a story about Hurts from one of their first NFL matchups when he knew the young passer could thrive at the highest level.

” We were playing him two seasons ago and he was just coming in off an injury and still hadn’t played much, but he was just ballin’,” Payne said of Hurts. “We didn’t know what to do with him. That’s when I knew the sky was the limit.”

Nick Sirianni reveals confidence level in Jalen Hurts

Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is confident in Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback in 2022. With the Eagles coming off of a loss to Tampa Bay in the wild card round of the playoffs, Sirianni spoke with NFL.com about the bright future with Hurts.

“He led us to the playoffs and obviously we want to go further than that and we’re really confident that Jalen is the guy that can help us do that,” Sirianni said. “He just continues to get better whether that’s from Alabama to Oklahoma, or Oklahoma to his first year in the NFL, or first year to the second year. We just know that progression is going to continue and it’s because of the person he is and that he loves football. The guy loves football and he’s just willing to do the things that he needs to do to get better and that’s why he does continue to get better.”

This past season was Hurts’ first as a full-time starter in the NFL. The second-year quarterback finished with 3,144 yards passing, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while leading Philadelphia to an unexpected playoff appearance. He also proved a threat on the ground, leading all quarterbacks with 784 yards rushing and an additional 10 touchdowns.

Hurts took a lot of the blame this offseason after committing three turnovers in the Eagles playoff loss. He ultimately finished that game 23-of-43 for 258 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. As good as he was on the ground in 2021, some questioned his arm strength of passing and passing ability. But Nick Sirianni has kept faith in Jalen Hurts, whom the team selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Eagles quarterback was also dealing with a nagging ankle injury toward the end of last season, something that could have affected him in the loss to the Buccaneers. He was seen in a walking boot after the game and underwent offseason surgery for the injury. In spite of this, he is not expected to miss any time next season and will be ready to lead the offense in Year 2 as the starter.

After finishing 9-8 this past season, Philadelphia believes its young team has a bright future ahead. Hurt is very much a part of that, along with receiver DeVonta Smith, who led the team in receiving as a rookie in 2021.