Jets taking Christian Hackenberg among QB surprises on NFL draft's Day 2
CHICAGO — The first round of the NFL draft revealed that three teams greatly valued the top three quarterbacks in this class, with the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos each moving up to select a rookie passer.
The second and third rounds on Friday revealed just how big of a chasm there truly was — at least in the opinion of NFL teams — between the top three quarterbacks — Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch — and the rest of the class.
Three more quarterbacks were drafted Friday, but just one, Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg, was selected in the second round.
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That move was surprising enough, given the polarizing opinions on Hackenberg after a rocky career in Happy Valley, but perhaps an even bigger surprise was Michigan State’s Connor Cook and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott going undrafted through the first three rounds. Both fell behind North Carolina State's Jacoby Brissett, who went to the New England Patriots at No. 91, and USC’s Cody Kessler, selected by the Cleveland Browns at No. 93.
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It’s no wonder, then, that the Rams and Eagles made their early trades to make sure they got the quarterbacks they wanted, Goff and Wentz, respectively, or why the Broncos moved up on Thursday night to get Lynch.
Other teams with short-term quarterback questions, such as the San Francisco 49ers, or long-term ones, including the Dallas Cowboys and
Arizona Cardinals, punted on the chance to take a passer in a draft that so far has proven to be deep on defense.
Even the Jets, in taking Hackenberg with the 20th pick in the second round, do not appear to be any more settled at quarterback after the second day of the draft than they were 24 hours earlier.
Hackenberg joins a quarterbacks group that currently includes 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith and Bryce Petty, a fourth-round pick out of Baylor last year. The Jets remain in a stalemate with veteran free agent starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, leaving Smith the starter heading into the start of voluntary practices next month.
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Hackenberg enters the NFL with a significant question about his accuracy after declining production in his three years as a starter in Penn State. In 2015, he completed just 53.5% of his passes.
“I’m confident enough that I can be able to adjust and I’m just really excited, again, about the fresh start, the new opportunity. I’m super-grateful,” Hackenberg said.
Brissett, who finished his career at North Carolina State after transferring from Florida, becomes the No. 3 quarterback in New England, but would serve as backup to Jimmy Garoppolo during the first four games of the season while Tom Brady serves his suspendsion.
Kessler, meanwhile, enters an intriguing quarterback situation in Cleveland with reclamation project Robert Griffin III and veteran Josh McCown. By trading out of the No. 2 pick last week, the Browns showed they were willing to wait on finding a rookie for new head coach Hue Jackson to groom.
Friday night, Jackson praised Kessler’s accuracy and defended his inconsistent record in college, saying some of the struggles at USC could be attributed to turmoil on the Trojans’ coaching staff.
“We wanted to add another quarterback to this room and we felt it was at the right time,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to trust me on this one. This is a guy we feel very comfortable with and we feel has a very good chance to ascend.”
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.