Brett Hundley Falls into Perfect Situation in Green Bay as Aaron Rodgers' Backup

A flawed but talented quarterback, Brett Hundley needed to land in a setting where he could sit on the bench and learn the professional game without the pressures of playing early.

The Green Bay Packers—with MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers entrenched as the starter—have presented him with that opportunity. 

In need of a developmental backup behind Rodgers and Scott Tolzien, the Packers moved up in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft to take Hundley with the No. 147 overall pick. Head coach Mike McCarthy now has a physically talented signal-caller he can mold into the future No. 2 in Green Bay. Hundley, meanwhile, has his chance to grow as a professional quarterback in one of the best environments in the NFL for the position. 

The pairing appears to be a win-win for both parties. 

Hundley—a 6'3" quarterback with a big arm and massive 10.5-inch hands—has all the physical attributes you'd want at the position.

At the combine in Indianapolis, the UCLA product posted top performer numbers among quarterbacks in the 40-yard dash (4.63 seconds), vertical leap (36.0"), broad jump (120.0"), three-cone drill (6.93 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (3.98 seconds). He has prototypical size, with almost 230 pounds on his well-built frame. 

Hundley was also productive as a passer at UCLA. 

He completed nearly 68 percent of his passes with 75 touchdowns and just 25 interceptions over 40 starts in three seasons. His completion percentage never finished below 66.5 percent, and he averaged more than 8.0 yards per attempt over his three-year career. As a junior in 2014, Hundley threw 22 touchdowns against five interceptions, with 3,155 passing yards and a completion percentage of 69.1. 

His big frame and decent wheels allowed him to be a dangerous asset running the football, too. 

Hundley scored 30 career rushing touchdowns with the Bruins. His best season came in 2013, when he totaled almost 750 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He scored at least nine times on the ground in each of his three years. 

Despite his production at UCLA, most still believe Hundley has a ways to go before he's a starting-caliber passer at the NFL level. 

"Someone will draft him, but I don't think he will ever be a starter," an AFC area scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "He can't read coverages and struggles to process. It is going to take a few years before he looks like a backup in my opinion. He has a long way to go."

The beauty of Green Bay selecting Hundley is that he should have ample time to sit and learn. The new Packers quarterback appears to be appreciative of that opportunity, too.

"It's a blessing in disguise and you know I have a chip on my shoulder, and I'm coming in to work, and that's what I've come down to," Hundley told reporters over the weekend, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "I'm just coming in, I've got my opportunity. That's the way I look at it. It's a blessing in disguise."

Rodgers, who doesn't turn 32 until December, is signed through the 2019 season. Tolzien has been in the Packers' system for the better part of the last two seasons, giving McCarthy a trustworthy backup for at least another year. Green Bay can stash Hundley away as the No. 3 for at least the 2015 season, giving him a comfortable situation in which he can soak up all he can without the stress of playing on Sundays. 

Some quarterbacks need the trial-by-fire approach, where playing right away is the best form of development. Hundley appears to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. He needs to sit. Having to play early on could be the beginning of his end. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller believes Hundley—who he ranked No. 4 among 2015 quarterbacks and compared to Buffalo's EJ Manuel—needs time to develop. 

"A solid athlete with great character and intangibles, Hundley and Manuel are carbon copies in that regard," Miller wrote. "And like Manuel, the best thing for Hundley is sitting and learning behind an established NFL quarterback."

Leading McCarthy's development checklist with Hundley will be pocket management and progressing through the reads of an NFL offense. 

"Playing from the pocket caused him to panic too often when pressured, and it severely affected his accuracy," Miller said. "Hundley didn’t show the ability in college to read a defense and get the ball in the right spot consistently."

He also took 125 sacks, an outrageous number for a quarterback of his size and scrambling ability. That total suggests his internal clock and ability to operate inside the pocket could use some serious tinkering. McCarthy, who runs an annual "quarterback school" with the Packers, has all the resources necessary to provide such development—if given the time. 

A scout told Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel that Hundley has starting potential. 

"He has the physical tools," the scout said. "Got a strong arm. Yes, he'll be a starter at some point. It's not a refined talent. Probably not unlike a Blake Bortles. He can be developed."

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Packers will hope to do the developing with Hundley, both in an attempt to secure a cheap backup for Rodgers and as a potential trade piece for later. Teams will pay a ransom for quarterbacking talent, regardless of how it is obtained. In a perfect world, Hundley will make big strides over the next two or three seasons and become an asset for general manager Ted Thompson to move for draft picks. 

Former Packers general manager Ron Wolf was a master at the craft, drafting several quarterbacks in the middle rounds with Brett Favre locked in as a the starter. Among them were Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck and Aaron Brooks.

It's possible Hundley will follow in the footsteps of Matt Flynn among Thompson's limited backup quarterback success stories. 

For now, the football marriage of Hundley and the Packers looks like the perfect one—especially for the rookie quarterback.

Talent at the position is starved across the league. Hundley is undeniably a talent, but he's entering the NFL as an imperfect one. Landing in Green Bay—where he'll sit behind arguably the game's best quarterback and learn from a few of the league's best positional coaches—should give him the best chance to realize his immense potential.

Zach Kruse covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2