Hackenberg
Christian
Penn State
QB #14
Position
Last Name
First Name
College
Final Grade
6’4
220 lbs
Height
Weight
40 speed
Test Score
ATHLETIC ABILITY
SECTION GRADE:
Q.A.B
Athleticism is good. Has the ability to escape pressure and avoid sacks. Sometimes he isn’t quick
Quick Feet
enough to escape though (probably not reacting quickly and/or rusher is faster). If needed, he can pick
C.O.D.
up extra yards or first down with his legs.
Flexibility
Coordination
COMPETITIVENESS
SECTION GRADE:
Toughness
Plays pretty tough and competitive. Shows command on the field and plays with emotion. Gets
Clutch Play
frustrated if something doesn’t go right (ex: game against Maryland). Sometimes gets on warm/cold
Production
streaks when completing passes. Starts off games pretty well but doesn’t hold on to that “energy”. The
Consistency
clutch ability is there late in games and for third/fourth downs but isn’t consistent. Can be productive,
Team Player
but mostly depends on ball placement and if the receiver can catch the ball.
Pride / Quit
MENTAL ALERTNESS
SECTION GRADE:
Learn / Retain
Needs to read the defense a bit better when the play has started. Needs to make quicker decisions.
Inst/Reaction
Doesn’t seem alert at times. Shows great composure in the pocket.
Concentration
STRENGTH / EXPLOSION
SECTION GRADE:
Body Type
Ideal size and build for a quarterback. Would probably need to put on extra weight if needed to.
Durability shouldn’t be an issue. Has taken a few hits before and looked fine after. There is some speed
Durability
but no lateral quickness to make defender miss tackle. I feel he can be good in any offense but could
Explosion
best fit in one that focuses on quick passes or long developing plays. An offense that is heavy on boot
Play Strength
lets I don’t think would be ideal for him.
GDE
CATEGORY
TECHNIQUE
ARM STRENGTH
CONVERT %
2ND LIVES
ACC SHORT IN PKT
ACC LONG IN PKT
COMMENTS DESCRIPTION
Foot work and throwing motion is
pretty good. Sometimes takes a
longer time than needed to wind up
the ball before throwing.
Decent overall. At times, doesn’t
throw with enough velocity leading
to incomplete passes. Good velocity
on slant routes and on throws where
there is a defender(s) near the
receiver.
Just over 34% conversion rating on
third and fourth down. Decision
making and accuracy I thought were
critical. Would be better if there was
improvement in both areas.
Not very fast, but can make plays
when running with the ball. Can get
away from pocket to avoid sacks,
more times than none.
Accuracy is really good on 0-10
yard throws. Sometimes throws too
low or a bit high for receiver.
Pretty decent on throws 11-19 yards
but inconsistent on throws 20+
yards.
GAMES VIEWED
UCF (2014)
Maryland (’14)
Michigan State (’14)
Ohio State (’14)
COMBINE NOTES
225 REPS
VERTICAL JUMP
BROAD JUMP
20 SHUTTLE
60 SHUTTLE
3 CONE
ACC ON MOVE
Not bad, just needs more work on
ball placement. It looks like that the
ball dips down at times; deceleration
probably.
BIG PLAYS
Ability to make big plays is average.
Needs to focus more.
UNDER PRESSURE
Mostly calm while under pressure. A
few times panics resulting in a sack
or a bad throw.
LDRSHIP / POISE
Great poise in pocket. Doesn’t seem
fazed in big moments despite not
always converting those big plays.
Can’t really see any leadership traits
in him but I believe he can lead a
team on the field with his on-field
play.
READ DEFENSES
Pre-snap read is average. Should be
more aware of blitzes. Needs to
know where the defender is at before
throwing the ball.
BIG ERRORS
The errors that pop out when
watching his film are accuracy,
decision making, and vision. Those I
would be the most concerned about.
STRONG POINTS
Hackenberg has great size and is a good athlete. His poise in the
pocket is really good and what stood out to me. Steps up and makes
the throw. Has a good feel around him in terms of pressure. Accuracy
is really good on short routes, dips a bit on intermediate routes. Has a
good arm and shows good mechanics overall. Don’t see any
CRITICAL FACTORS
SIZE
STRENGTH
PLAY SPEED
ATH.ABILITY
COMPETES
WEAKNESSES
Plays pretty streaky in both a good and bad way. Needs to make
quicker decisions and quicker throws. Hangs on to the ball
longer than needed. As soon as he sees an open player, the ball
should be out right away. Makes some poor decisions/throws
leading to interceptions or incompletions. Ball placement is an
durability problems with him.
issue. Overthrows and underthrows the ball quite a bit. Decent
when throwing on the run, but seems like the ball loses
velocity. Struggles with deep passes.
SUMMARY
Christian Hackenberg will be entering his third season under center for Penn State University in the fall of 2015. He threw 32
touchdowns and 25 interceptions so far in his career and has thrown for 5932 yards. Hackenberg completed and attempted the most
passes in the Big Ten in 2014. His 15 interceptions in 2014 were the most in the Big Ten and ranked him 8th in the NCAA. Overall, I
thought Hackenberg has done decent despite the faults of the offensive line and receivers. I would hope that for this upcoming season
and maybe senior season, if he decides to stay longer, that he improves on his overall accuracy, decision making, and vision. If he
shows major improvement in those three areas, then Hackenberg should be in the discussion of being a first round pick. He has potential
but so far the negative outweighs his positive traits. If he continues to struggle, however, then I think he should be picked somewhere in
the fifth round.