Green Bay Packers steal QB project in Brett Hundley

The Green Bay Packers have made an uncharacteristic splash in the 2015 NFL Draft, trading up to the the 147th overall pick to draft UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley. After falling through the second tier of quarterbacks selected, the wildly athletic Hundley will now have an opportunity to learn from Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers.

More from Green Bay Packers

At 6’3″ and 226 pounds, Hundley’s body is strong enough to take NFL punishment when he moves outside of the pocket. This is something that he did often for the UCLA Bruins, averaging nearly 700 yards rushing in each of his past two college seasons. Throwing the football, Hundley completed 69.1% of his passes in 2014 for 3,155 yards, 22 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also added 10 touchdowns on the ground.

These stats are largely inflated, however, due to the system that Hundley played in at UCLA. The overwhelming majority of his snaps came from the shotgun and rarely was he asked to progress through two or more receiving options. His primary targets were often within five yards of the line of scrimmage, thus inflating his completion percentage, and his internal clock appeared to be out of batteries at times. In three seasons at UCLA, Hundley was sacked 125 times.

All of this being said, prior to the 2014 NFL Draft, there was legitimate discussion around Hundley as one of the top available quarterback prospects. He chose to return for his Junior season this past year, however, and produced more worries than answers. Now, it’s time for Hundley to go to quarterback school.

The Aaron Rodgers that Green Bay now knows and loves does not closely resemble the Aaron Rodgers that the Packers drafted, and much of this can be credited to head coach Mike McCarthy. Now that McCarthy has moved away from his offensive play calling duties to take on a more all-encompasing role, quarterback development could once again become his pet project.

Scott Tolzien will surely continue to serve as Green Bay’s primary backup in 2015, with the hope being that Hundley can develop into a quality backup for 2016 and beyond. McCarthy’s first task will be rebuilding the mechanics of Hundley, and if he is able to do so, the athletic ability certainly exists to create a much better quarterback. Taking his legs away from him would be a mistake, though, because Hundley is a true home run threat in space. Don’t underestimate his scout team value either while mimicking Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick, two men who have given Green Bay trouble in recent seasons.

The most critical piece of Hundley’s mechanics to re-work is his weight transfer. The heavy doses of 3-to-6 yard passes require nothing more than the flick of a finger, pushing Hundley into a casual delivery that does not apply well into his deep attempts. McCarthy will work to square his shoulders and have Hundley commit his entire body to these passes.

Ted Thompson has selected just four quarterbacks since Aaron Rodgers in 2005, with Matt Flynn being the only name to produce anything at the NFL level. In my research of Thompson’s prototypical prospects by position, I suggested that his ideal quarterback stands 6’2″ to 6’3″ at 220 to 230 pounds. Hundley fits this smack dab in the middle, and the Packers’ decision to move up for him shows how they valued his potential.

This is a strange pick, because despite the excitement it brings, the best-case scenario is Hundley never seeing the field in Green Bay. He will, however, give the the Packers a high-upside project in their third string quarterback slot. Preseason Packers games just became must-see TV.

Next: Green Bay finds Packer person in Jake Ryan

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Green Bay Packers