When NFL Draft analysts break down the 2016 class, and the QB prospects, more specifically, Penn State football's Christian Hackenberg is one of a few guys they mention as the top players. But don't let that 6-foot-4 frame and big arm fool you -- Hackenberg is a hack. Truth be told, he's one of the most overrated prospects in this entire draft class, and he has bust written all over him.
How anyone watches him play and looks at his stats and says that he's a good football player is beyond me. I know Hackenberg's got the prototype size and look of a pro-style quarterback, but come on. At some point, you have to go with the eye test and realize that he just doesn't read defenses well, and his accuracy is as inconsistent as I've seen at the collegiate level.
Hackenberg's best completion percentage was his rookie year. At 58.9 percent, that's not even a good number, and it's only regressed during his sophomore and junior years. It was 55.8 last year, and is down to a career-low 54.5 in 2015. You're not supposed to get worse as you get older and more experience.
Speaking of that sophomore year for Hackenberg, let's take a look at some numbers. He threw 12 touchdowns and 15 (yes, 15) interceptions. That's just brutal. Seven of his touchdowns, as you can see on the graphic above, came against two teams: Akron and Boston College. So congrats, over half of your touchdowns came against two fo the worst teams on the schedule.
While his interception numbers are down this year, Penn State has also not played anybody that good. And against the couple of good teams they did play, he was awful.
This is why it's so mind boggling to me that people can watch him play and tout him as such a great prospect. I don't care if a guy is big and has a cannon for an arm.
JaMarcus Russell was enormous and had a big arm. He's one of the worst quarterbacks in modern NFL history.
What people need to ask themselves is this: is he a good football player?
You can have all the intangibles and size you want, but if you're not good at the sport, you're not good. Seems pretty simple, right?Why that's being ignored for the most part when it comes to Hackenberg, I really don't know.
If he's struggling this much at the collegiate level, what makes you think he'll be able to pick apart NFL defenses anytime soon?
Perplexing.
Just for fun, watch Hackenberg's highlights (if they even deserve to be called that) from 2015's season opener against Temple. We now know that the Owls are pretty darn good team, but under pressure, he's bad. And his accuracy issues persist on all routes, no matter how short or long.
Honestly, I can't wait to bash whatever team drafts him this upcoming offseason.
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