Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg has had NFL people talking about his potential since the moment he started his first game as a freshman under Bill O’Brien. Hackenberg’s skill set is widely believed to be one that will transition to the NFL in smooth fashion, and having a coach of O’Brien’s pedigree get him started surely helped. Entering his third season as Penn State’s starting quarterback and with the 2015 NFL Draft now in the books, the Hackenberg NFL discussion for 2016 is officially underway.
Hackenberg will still have one year of eligibility remaining after this 2015 season, and to this point there is no indication Hackenberg will leave Penn State a year early for the NFL. However, the NFL scouts and draftniks are already putting high stock in Hackenberg in 2016. Despite what many considered a down 2014 season, the potential and skills are still respected and the lack of an offensive line in front of him can easily explain away many of the negatives from 2014. A year with an improved offensive line, at least in terms of stability, should do Hackenberg and the rest of the offense some good in the fall, and could help boost the NFL discussion even more for the quarterback.
As broken down and highlighted by Big Ten Network blogger Brent Yarina, Hackenberg is already considered among the top 10 NFL Draft 2016 prospects in the country by 247 Sports, Bleacher Report, SB Nation and Walter Football. More may be sure to come by those including potential early entries to the draft. Just this morning, Associated Press college football writer Ralph Russo mentioned the possibility of Hackenberg being the number one overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Christian Hackenberg, with or without the threat of bodily harm. https://t.co/X48AWHF5f8
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) May 4, 2015
Our friend Eric Galko of Optimum Scouting is already envisioning the Bill O’Brien-Hackenberg reunion in Houston (a possibility I have been suggesting for a while as well), via The Sporting News. Hackenberg is listed at the top of the list of top prospects put together by Athlon Sports too.
Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead is all in on Hackenberg hype too…
https://twitter.com/jasonrmcintyre/status/595230716516028416
Consider this though. The Big Ten has not had a quarterback drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1995. That was the year Penn state’s Kerry Collins was one of three Penn State players taken in the first round off the undefeated 1994 team (Ki-Jana Carter and Kyle Brady being the other two). I have already gone on record suggesting Hackenberg will have the best chance to snap Penn State’s first-round NFL Draft drought, but that is under the assumption he does leave early. Again, there is no indication at this time whether this will be the case or not. But it is going to be discussed all fall if Hackenberg is healthy. Count on it.
It has bene a long time coming, but Hackenberg and Ohio State’s Cardale Jones and Michigan State’s Connor Cook have been that well respected by the draft community. I might even be willing to throw Braxton Miller into the conversation if he bounces back with a healthy shoulder and stays at Ohio State, although I think the first round would be quite a reach.
What do you think the chances Hackenberg leaves early are? Would it be good for the program to have a first-round quarterback drafted, or would it hurt the program more in the immediate future? Share your thoughts and opinions with a comment below.
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