Adrian Burk

Jalen Hurts is the more dynamic talent, no question, but Adrian Burk is part of the Eagles’ early QB lineage Hurts is trying to surpass. Burk threw for 7,001 yards and 61 touchdowns in a run-heavy 1950s world, making two Pro Bowls and once tying the NFL record with seven TD passes in a game. Hurts has the spotlight; Burk helped build the stage.

No, Adrian Burk is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he’s one of those guys you could easily overlook if you just walk through Canton reading plaques. But he had a very real moment in his era: two Pro Bowls, 7,001 passing yards, 61 touchdown passes, and that seven-TD masterpiece in 1954 that still sits in the record books.

Drop Adrian Burk into today’s NFL with modern coaching and protections, and he’d look a lot better on a spreadsheet than his 52.2 passer rating suggests. He already led the league in passer rating once and threw seven TDs in a game when corners could mug receivers. With spread concepts and roughing-the-passer flags, he’s probably a solid mid-tier starter, not just a trivia answer.

Donovan McNabb versus Adrian Burk is like comparing a Blu-ray to black-and-white film; both tell stories, but one has more range. Burk put up 7,001 yards and 61 TDs in a grind-it-out era, good enough for a 15.36 HeyTC rating. McNabb, with 46.44, simply did more, longer, at a higher level. Burk is an important chapter; McNabb is the full book.