New York Jets: Trade of Christian Hackenberg is admitting a mistake
The New York Jets have finally come to terms with the mistake they made when they drafted Christian Hackenberg with the 51st overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The New York Jets finally got the quarterback they need in the first round — the one everyone projects to be a franchise quarterback. Up to that point, it seemed like no general manager could get it right in the draft.
From selecting Chad Pennington over Tom Brady to trading up for Mark Sanchez to taking a flyer on two second round picks, it just never seemed to pan out.
By trading Christian Hackenberg to Oakland for a conditional seventh round pick in 2019 — based on being on the roster for a certain number of games according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport — is nothing less than an admission to making a mistake two years ago.
Tidbits on the Christian Hackenberg trade to Oakland: 1. The #Raiders won’t release another QB in the short-term. 2. The pick conditions are tied to him being on the roster a certain number of games. 3. His comments did not lead to the trade. Had nothing to do with it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 22, 2018
The Jets thought they could work with Hackenberg. However, they were wrong. His issues from college never got fixed, and it was time to get the ax. In fact, according to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, the average for the players in his draft class selected in the first or second round is 1,314 snaps played — including special teams snaps — and everyone from his class selected in those round has a minimum of 140 snaps played.
The average player picked in the 1st or 2nd round of the 2016 draft has 1314 snaps to this point including special teams plays. Everyone except Hackenberg has at least 140 career snaps so far. Hackenberg has 0.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) May 22, 2018
In the end, it’s a failed experiment for Hackenberg. However, there’s a silver lining.
While other players at other positions have succeeded in the NFL from that draft, unlike most other drafts, you only see one starting quarterback in that draft after the Hackenberg selection: Dak Prescott. So, in the end, it’s just something that didn’t work out and not a colossal waste. (We also don’t know how Prescott would’ve turned out with the Jets.)
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Essentially, they cut him. They admitted their mistake. So let it go into the ether and forget about it — just another in the long line of failed quarterbacks since Joe Namath.