By Corey Neer ’17
Two years ago if someone said Christian Hackenberg was the best collegiate quarterback in the country, I would have agreed. Hackenberg boasted a 134.0 QB rating as a freshman while passing for just under 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and leading a comeback in Penn State’s bowl game. No one could argue that this kid was talented and without a doubt a top ten pick when he declared for the draft. Then sophomore year hit, and Hackenberg struggled mightily.
Penn State’s offensive line struggled as Hackenberg took a beating in the pocket – leading to a 12:15 TD to INT ratio and a huge drop in draft his stock heading into his junior season. He didn’t do himself any favors his junior year either. While increasing his TD-INT ratio from the year before he struggled to truly find a good composure in the pocket because of continued offensive line struggles. Hackenberg found himself having to make too many plays and not having time or talent around him to succeed.
Now Christian Hackenberg finds himself as a borderline top-5 quarterback in the 2016 draft class and a huge question mark. He has all the makings of an elite signal-caller at the next level. He’s 6-4 230 lbs and has great arm strength, but he has some red flags when it comes to his decision-making and footwork. This is where the Cleveland Browns come in. With newly acquired head coach and quarterback whisperer Hue Jackson, the Browns have a coach willing and able to develop a raw talent like Hackenberg. That’s why with the 32nd pick in the 2016 NFL draft the Browns could get a steal in Christian Hackenberg. With enough time I believe that Hue Jackson can create a franchise quarterback out of Hackenberg and finally solve the quarterback conundrum in Cleveland. This plan requires a few years of development behind guys like Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown, but in the end Hackenberg may be the best quarterback to come out of this draft.