Is Christian Hackenberg the Quarterback of the Future for the Jets?

Christian Hackenberg is a quarterback getting some Draft buzz from the Jets. Let's take a look at him.

Measurables

Height: 6'4"

Arm Length: 32"

Weight: 223

Hand Size: 9"

Statistics

Completion Percentage: 56.1%

Yards Per Attempt: 6.8

Touchdown Rate: 3.9%

Interception Rate: 2.5%

Combine Results

40 Time: 4.78 seconds

Vertical Jump: 31.0 inches

Broad Jump: 114.0 inches

3 Cone Drill: 7.04 seconds

Bill Parcells Quarterback Rules (1/4)

Was he a senior? No

Was he a three year starter? Yes

Did he graduate? No

Did he win at least 23 games as a starting quarterback? No

26-27-60 Rule (1/2 Known)

Did he score at least 26 on the Wonderlic? Unknown at this time

Did he start at least 27 games? Yes

Did he complete at least 60% of his passes? Yes

Football Outsiders' QBASE Formula

Mean Projection, Years 3-5: -414 DYAR

Bust (less than 500) 80.1%

Adequate Starter (500-1499) 13.6%

Upper Tier (1500-2500) 5.1%

Elite (>2500) 1.2%

Compared to (Connor) Cook, Hackenberg played against a slightly tougher college schedule and had less support in NFL-caliber offensive teammates. But Hackenberg projects further below replacement level because his expected draft position is lower and his 2015 stats (53.5 percent completion rate, 7.0 YPA, 16 TDs, 6 INT) are even worse.

No quarterback in QBASE's database (all top-100 picks since 1996) has succeeded with remotely similar stats. The list of previous top-100 picks with completion rates under 55 percent in their last college season -- Brock Huard, Dave Ragone, Josh McCown, Kyle Boller, Marques Tuiasosopo and Quincy Carter -- augurs poorly for Hackenberg's NFL prospects.

PFF Draft Guide Stats

Accuracy: 64.0% (22nd of 22 QB prospects)

Accuracy Under Pressure: 47.2% (22nd of 22 QB prospects)

Deep Passing Accuracy: 39.7% (17th of 22 QB prospects)

What the Experts Say

Mike Mayock: "I have two wild cards, and the wild cards from me are Christian Hackenberg from Penn State and Cardale Jones from Ohio State, both of whom have a ton of talent, big, good-looking kids, but their tape is poor. So they're going to be wild cards as to who -- because they have the upside of being from -- from a skills perspective, they have starter skills, but their tape is poor. "

Gil Brandt: "He entered Penn State as the No. 1 QB recruit in 2013 and flourished as a freshman under now Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year. But Hackenberg never came back around to show anything the last two years under James Franklin, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns as a sophomore and averaging fewer than 200 yards a game in 2015. I'm not saying he would have suddenly turned things around as a senior, but there certainly are a lot of questions surrounding him in this draft. He does have an ally in O'Brien, and the Texans do need a quarterback, so there's that."

Greg Cosell: "I’ve seen him throw live and I’ve talked to him. When you see him in shorts and a tee shirt he looks like Troy Aikman. He ran an offense as a freshman where he was predominantly under center with a lot of play action. He ran an offense the last two years where he was in the shotgun almost all the time and looked uncomfortable. The pure physical talent is there you just have to decide what can be coached and what can’t."

To the Film!

vs. Temple

vs. Illinois

vs. Michigan State

2014 vs. Ohio State

2014 vs. Michigan State