Penn State Football: Hackenberg Shut Out of NFL Draft’s Round One

Christian Hackenberg is still on the clock.

On to Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

It had to be maddening on Thursday night, watching his eponymous mentor from Gruden’s QB Camp and Mel and Boomer and Louis pick apart each pick, through 31 selections.

None of whom were named Christian Hackenberg.

Good Goff, who would have expected this two years ago?

The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft came and Wentz on Thursday night, and Hackenberg was a QB Without a Team.

It had to be torture, watching ESPN’s coverage. Jared Goff, who has been a good friend of Hackenberg’s dating back to their Elite 11 high school days and into a stint as Combine roomies this past February, was picked No. 1.

Carson Wentz, who attempted all of 30 passes for FCS North Dakota State in 2013 and just 612 in his entire college career, went No. 2. (Hack threw 392 in 2013 and 1,235 overall, while engineering a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime six times in his career – tied for best among active college QBs in 2015.)

Then, 168 minutes later, the third quarterback was picked in the 81st annual selection meeting of the National Football League, when the Peyton Manningless Broncos drafted Memphis’ Paxton Lynch.

By 11:39 p.m., it was over. Hack went oh-for-Round 1. Sacked again.

It had to be frustrating to see the graphic circulate across the bottom of ESPN’s coverage every few minutes after the first two picks, proclaiming “Mel’s Best QB: 1. Connor Cook – Michigan State; 2. Paxton Lynch – Memphis; 3. Christian Hackenberg – Penn State; 4. Jacoby Brissett – N.C. State.”

One spot ahead of Jacoby Brissett? Really? Really. It’s been that kind of a couple of years for the now ex-Nittany Lion quarterback.

And now, as the NFL Draft heads into Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, begining in Chicago at 7 p.m. Eastern, Hackenberg must wait.

Thursday night, it had to be difficult for Hackenberg to not think back to the 2014 draft. That night, his eyes were glued on the TV screen when Blake Bortles of Central Florida was the No. 3 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In his heart that night, Hackenberg knew he was as good as Bortles – except, maybe, in terms of mobility.  Bortle could move better than Hackenberg. At UCF, he had 195 carries for 561 yards and 15 TDs. “But I’m working on that,” Hack said back then, two draft days ago. And he was. Only Hack didn’t know that the running he would do the next two years would be of the “For Your Life” variety.

Otherwise, Bill O’Brien had molded his star pupil into a future No. 1 pick. Potentially better, even, than Bortles.

BORTLES VS. HACKENBERG

This is how long ago that was:

Bortles and Hack were on near-even footing on Sept. 14, 2013, when Penn State lost 34-31 to Bortles and UCF in front of a Beaver Stadium crowd of 92,855. It was just the third game of his college career for Hackenberg, all of 18 years and 7 months old. Bortles was 34 months older, in his third season with UCF and on his way to a 22-5 record as a starter.

Bortles was 6-4 and 230. Hack was 6-4 and 220. The two football-savvy, big-bodied, strong-armed, pro-style quarterbacks were not mirror images. But as the numbers indicated, they were darn close. Under sunny and dry conditions, with temperatures hovering around 60 and a slight breeze from the northwest, Bortles was 20 of 27 for 288 yards, with three TD passes (of 4, 5 and 25 yards) and one interception. Hackenberg was 21 of 28 for 262 yards, with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Allen Robinson with less than 3 minutes left in the game, and no picks.

Bortle’s stats that season were 259 for 382, for 3,581 yards, with 25 TD passes and nine interceptions. Hackenberg was 231 for 392, for 2,955 yards, with 20 TDs and 10 picks. Quite close, especially given the three-year gap in their age and experience.

Hack was sacked once that game, giving him eight in his first three games – and he went on to be dumped 95 more times in his next 35 starts as Penn State’s quarterback.

Christian Hackenberg was Blake Bortles. Maybe even moreso. (He can still be again. Maybe moreso.)

Bortles has started 29 of the Jaguars’ last 30 games over the past two years, including every contest last season. Hooking up with Robinson in a touch of irony, Bortles had a breakout season in 2015, setting the Jaguars’ single-season franchise records for passing touchdowns (35), passing yards, (4,428), pass completions (355), and pass attempts (606).

Hackenberg had a breakdown game to open the 2015 season, getting sacked 10 times against Temple, including twice at the end of the fourth quarter, when he was – inexplicably – still in a game that had already been decided. Things got marginally better.

So, on Thursday night, the stage belonged to Goff. Under Goff, Cal was 14-23 with nary a win over a Top 25 program. He threw a ton, though, three times attempting over 500 passes for over 12,000 yards (to Hack’s 8,457) as a starter while doubling Hack’s TD passes (96 to 48) and equaling his picks (30 to 31).

Goff is now a Ram. Wentz is an Eagle.

At 11:03 p.m., two minutes shy of three hours after Goff was picked by Los Angeles, Lynch was drafted by the Broncos. Hackenberg remained on the board.

Seconds before, Mel Kiper offered his two cents on Penn State’s erstwhile quarterback.

“It looks,” breathlessly enthused Kiper, “like Hackenberg will now go in the second round.”