RADIO
Position, Team, NFL Draft Spot: QB, New York Jets, 2.20
Dynasty Positional Rank: 40+
Redraft Target Round: Unranked, not viable for 2016
Analysis: Hackenberg was one of the more surprising picks in the NFL Draft, as the Jets may have reached a bit to take him in the middle of the second round. There have been reports out that the Jets tried everything in their power to trade out of this pick before selecting Hackenberg, which means they may not like him as much as this pick suggests.
If the Jets are able to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, Hackenberg will all but certainly be a non-factor this season. If they aren’t able to re-sign Fitzpatrick, Hackenberg’s value becomes a bit more interesting. The Jets recently spoke in an interview and failed to mention Bryce Petty, which means Geno Smith would likely be the only quarterback ahead of Hackenberg on the depth chart. That still may be too much for Hackenberg to overcome in his first NFL season, and I would be willing to bet that he isn’t going to make an impact this year.
The Jets clearly aren’t wasting a second round pick, which means they must believe that Hackenberg has the potential to be a starter at some point in his career. He looked great in his first season at Penn State, but regressed under a new coach in his next two seasons. In that first season, he flashed the potential to be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, and that is the type of upside he possesses. With that being said, he has regressed too much throughout his college career to trust. He’s a high risk, high reward option in dynasty leagues.
