For the last year, I've been commuting in Crater work jeans, decent work boots and a Rukka jacket............the work jeans are designed to be used in heavy industrial workshops and I know from experience that they take a lot of punishment.......I doubt they'd last for as many metres sliding as decent leather or a 'proper' pair of bike trews, but I can ride in them, wear another pair of trousers under if it's cold and I believe they'll give me more protection than many 'bike' trousers......up to, perhaps, the point where the roadside furniture comes into play, then it's game over anyway.
I have tried draggin' jeans and hood jeans, but I found that the lining made me sweat like a pig (do pigs actually sweat?

) and I was uncomfortable in them.
Go with the best you can afford, balanced with a comfort factor.......there's no point in riding in plate armour of you can't see, can't move and it makes you so uncomfortable that you can't ride.
There's a balance somewhere, and sadly, only you can find that balance for you, your pockets and your self-preservation instincts