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Brett Hundley was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the 2015 NFL Draft class, but ended up falling all the way to the fifth round. Aaron Rodgers was considered one of the best quarterbacks in his draft class as well, but ended up falling to the 24th overall pick. Green Bay has been lucky enough to snag both of them, and Hundley is the heir apparent to Rodgers.
Picking a quarterback in the draft was something that Ted Thompson wanted to do instead of bringing back Matt Flynn. Hundley is a much better athlete than any quarterback the Packers have had in quite some time, and will be more than capable of coming and and playing some snaps if needed.
There is no denying that Hundley has a lot of work to do, but he is in the perfect situation to do that. Rodgers has nothing to worry about as far as his job security is concerned, so mentoring Hundley and bringing him along as his future replacement when he retires is what will happen. Green Bay’s coaching staff is very good at developing young players and will work daily with the raw talent that Hundley possesses.
During his junior season in 2014 with the UCLA Bruins, Hundley ended up throwing for 3,155 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season as well.
Needless to say, those numbers are fairly impressive and certainly give the Packers hope for the future. He has a lot of work to do to understand defenses and reading coverage, but his physical talent is there. Everything else can be taught, but there is no denying that he is physically capable of becoming the next starting quarterback for the Packers after Rodgers retires.
Granted, that time may be a long ways off. Rodgers is 31 years old, but still has plenty of football left in him. Whether or not Hundley is going to be around in Green Bay in six or seven years is another story.
That being said, the Packers are a team that a quarterback like Hundley could choose to stick with long-term. He could end up leaving in free agency after his rookie deal ends, or he could choose to sign another deal in Green Bay due to their system and the wisdom that he can learn from Rodgers. At just 21 years of age, waiting until he’s 27 or 28 doesn’t seem out of the question to be the Packers’ next starter.
It could even taken him that long before he’s complete enough as a quarterback to be a starter. Only time will tell, but Green Bay traded up in the draft to make sure that they got him. That says something about what they want from him looking into the future.
Hundley could very well end up never starting a game for the Packers, but there is a good chance that he will play a role for the Packers long-term and become the replacement for Rodgers.
Evan Massey is the Green Bay Packers beat writer for www.RantSports.com, and also contributes across the NFL, MLB and NBA portions of the site. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan.
