Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Heading into the 2015 College Football season, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg was being touted by NFL draft experts, scouts and executives as a potential top-10, possibly top-5, pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. In today’s season opener against Temple Owls, Hackenberg completed 11-of-25 passes for 103 yards and an interception, as the Nittany Lions were defeated 27-10.
“Talent wise, I think (Hackenberg) is one of the top two or three quarterbacks in all of college football,” analyst Joel Klatt said recently. “When the NFL scouts look at him and when I view him through that lens, I think he’s a sure-fire top-10 pick, at least as much as you can be in the preseason.”
NFL draft expert Todd McShay had Hackenberg ranked as his No. 1 prospect for the 2016 NFL Draft in his initial rankings, but has since dropped him to No. 20, which would still be a first-round pick.
“Hackenberg is the most polarizing prospect going into the 2015 season,” McShay wrote. “Critics will justifiably point to erratic accuracy and subpar decision-making as proof that he is overrated. But he flashes enough good qualities on tape – not-quite-elite arm strength and the ability to thread the needle on intermediate throws – to make him a tantalizing prospect.”
Physical tools are an extremely vital part of a quarterback’s success, but at what point do the scouts begin to look at the results for Hackenberg?
In 2014, Hackenberg completed 55.8 percent of his throws for 2,977 yards with 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Klatt attributed the struggles to learning a new offense after head coach Bill O’Brien departed for the NFL and was replaced by current head coach James Franklin.
“I think it’s really difficult to change offensive systems within your college career, in particular when one is so successful and seems to be just tailored to you like Bill O’Brien’s was for Christian Hackenberg when he was a young player,” Klatt said. “So I thought the step back, at least production-wise and the number of interceptions was almost expected a year ago.”
Klatt makes a great point; it’s never easy to change offensive systems, especially in college, but if you’re an elite NFL quarterback prospect like Hackenberg supposedly is, I would expect more production.
On Saturday, Hackenberg looked even worse than he did in 2014. Although he was sacked 10 times which was a contributing factor to his struggles, Hackenberg routinely missed throws, held the ball too long and made a ridiculous decision on an interception that was returned to the two-yard-line for the go-ahead touchdown.
It’s unfathomable to me that he’s being considered one of the top quarterbacks in this draft class. Offensive line issues or not, the great quarterbacks don’t have performances like the one Hackenberg had today against Temple.
Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.
