It’s not Christian Hackenberg’s fault that the Jets took him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. If the Penn State alum had been selected with a pick more commensurate with his talent–say, a late third-day pick or undrafted free-agent status–the fact that he never threw a regular-season pass for the Jets wouldn’t be such a big deal. But Hackenberg, who was traded to the Raiders last May and released by Oakland less than a month later, did nothing to prove that he was ready for the NFL when he was actually in it, which made the Alliance of American Football a marginally interesting option. Perhaps Hackenberg could turn things around in a league with less imposing defensive competition and at least start to show a workable NFL skill set.
That was the hope, anyway. But based on his AAF debut, Hackenberg may be at the end of the road. In the Memphis Express’ 26-0 loss at the hands of the Birnimgham Iron (love these World Football League-style names), he completed just 10 of 23 passes for 87 yards and an interception.
Moreover, he kept throwing profanity during his less-than-incendiary performance (Warning: NSFW language abounds):
It’s nobody else’s fault but Hackenberg’s if he can’t complete a simple RPO, or if he throws late into a cabal of defenders, or his dropback makes him look like your Uncle Frank after too many brews at the July 4 barbecue. This is, quite simply, a quarterback who does not appear to be ready for anything approaching professional football, and while that’s unfortunate, it’s also the reality of things. Perhaps the worst second-round pick in NFL history has nowhere to go from here if he can’t do something to improve his performance.
