Christian Hackenberg NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Jets Rookie

POSITIVES

Christian Hackenberg is one of the most polarizing players in the 2016 NFL draft class—in part due to a fantastic start to his career under then-head coach Bill O'Brien (now of the Houston Texans) and his regression under new head coach James Franklin. Scouting Hackenberg requires some imagination as to what he can be.

The positives are great. Hackenberg has an NFL body and is a classic, prototypical dropback passer. He doesn't scare easily in the pocket and will hang in traffic to make throws down the field. Hackenberg is also athletic enough to execute rollouts and can evade the rush and move around to either extend plays or pick up a few yards with his legs.

The arm is what you'd expect. Hackenberg can drive the ball down the field and also changes velocity to throw with touch on underneath routes. The ball jumps out of his hand and has the spin to heat up when he needs to jam it into tight spaces.

When it comes to the mental part of the game, it's a two-sided coin. When given time, Hackenberg showed he can work through progressions and get to the right read. But having time—and confidence in his receivers—wasn't always guaranteed. This is an area in which he could impress, but it's also an area in which the Jets are betting on his confidence returning.

A two-time captain and three-year starter, Hackenberg has seen it all in the Big Ten. He's worked in two different offensive systems and was asked to handle checks, audibles and protections since he was 18 years old. Hackenberg excels in football IQ, toughness and leadership and is a top-tier quarterback in those areas. He has football bloodlines, too, as his father played at the University of Virginia.

NEGATIVES

The departure of O'Brien to the NFL was devastating to Hackenberg's draft stock. The quarterback spent the last two seasons running a spread offense under Franklin that lived on screen passes and didn't take advantage of the skill players on the roster. Hackenberg's numbers and play dropped off significantly in 2014 before rebounding slightly in 2015, but it's rare that a top-tier quarterback gets worse in college and is still considered an early-round pick.

Accuracy became a consistent problem for Hackenberg in the Franklin offense. He regressed to the point where even simple bubble-screen passes weren't sure things. Some of that can be attributed to lazy route-running by receivers who didn't attack the football, but overall, a lack of footwork and follow-through on passes across the board plagued Hackenberg's tape.

Mechanically, poor protection up front doomed Hackenberg. He started throwing off-balance and even changed his release point over the last two seasons as he tried to hurry the ball out of his hand. With 82 sacks in the last two seasons, he took a beating, and it affected his internal clock. When the season ended, Hackenberg was seeing ghosts in the pocket. New York must be patient while re-establishing his pocket presence and hoping his poise and consistency in his mechanics returns.

In a tape-based evaluation, Hackenberg went from bright to bad in a hurry, but his traits are still solid enough to warrant a third-round grade. Based on potential and what he showed early in his career, Hackenberg is someone who could develop into a starter.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 223 lbs.

40 Time: 4.78s

Hand Size: 9"

3-Cone: 7.04s

PRO COMPARISON: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
FINAL GRADE: 6.20/9.00 (Round 3—Future Starter)