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Poked, prodded, dissected, built up, beat up, torn down, rising, falling and rumored about.
And that’s all before Christian Hackenberg even knows where he’ll be playing this year.
Chances are, the former Penn State quarterback won’t hear his name called Thursday night in the first round of the NFL draft. But when the moment does come — likely during Friday’s second and third rounds — it will end months of scrutiny for the Nittany Lions’ all-time leading passer.
Hackenberg’s former quarterbacks coach at Penn State is hoping it leads to some normalcy for the 21-year-old.
“I’m excited to see where he goes,” said Ricky Rahne, who is coaching tight ends this year after the addition of Joe Moorhead to the staff. “Just to be real honest, I’m excited for him to be able to move on and not answer the same questions 300 times. Go on with the next phase of his life. Get to work on something new.
“He’s excited. Wherever he lands, in whatever round, it’s going to be a great fit because he’s going to go in and work hard, learn a lot and go on to do some great things.”
Hackenberg has seen his stock rise after an impressive pro day showing in Happy Valley last month, even sneaking into the end of the first round in a few mock drafts. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, one of Hackenberg’s most high-profile critics, just bumped him up into his top five quarterbacks available.
One Sports Illustrated report claimed he had blamed Lions coach James Franklin for his struggles the past two seasons in pre-draft interviews with NFL teams. A week later, a different Sports Illustrated story, citing higher-placed NFL sources, said he had done no such thing.
Yes, this is a life of a top NFL quarterback prospect. For their part, Hackenberg and his family have denied grumbling about Franklin or the Lions. The quarterback has been focused on himself.
“My biggest fear,” Hackenberg said on the “Draft Season” podcast, “is just not being able to reach my full potential. That’s how I like to focus, and I just want to be the best player I can be. And whatever I have to do, the steps I have to make, the sacrifices I have to make to make sure I get there, I’m willing to do it.”
In Hackenberg’s favor is that he has already shown he can run an NFL offense, having learned the New England Patriots scheme as a teenager under former Penn State coach Bill O’Brien.
Just as much as the scheme in his freshman year, Hackenberg had the benefit of having a future Pro Bowl receiver (Allen Robinson) as well as three offensive linemen who ended up starting in the NFL last fall — Donovan Smith, John Urschel and Garry Gilliam.
Those were luxuries he didn’t have the last two years as the effects of NCAA sanctions hit the Lions.
“If I can get back to that level of (comfort), if I get back to having everything that I need around me, all this stuff — what could I be now?” Hackenberg said. “I just think the sky’s the limit. So I just have a very clear view of what that can be.
“I know if I never even get close to that, then that’s failing. Not losing a game. Not getting hit in the mouth, not getting sacked however many times. That’s not failure, that’s just adversity. Failure is not ever using everything you’ve been given, in my opinion.”
Of course, there’s a chance that Hackenberg isn’t even the first Penn State player drafted this week.
Defensive tackle Austin Johnson received the highest grade from NFL.com, labeled a likely NFL starter. The 6-foot-4, 314-pound lineman has impressive footwork and mobility for a man his size and Penn State has produced more pro defensive linemen than any other position since the turn of the century.
Johnson is projected to be selected on Friday along with Hackenberg. Fellow linemen Carl Nassib and Anthony Zettel are likely to follow on Saturday during the final four rounds.
Two others in the mix for a late-round selection are tight end Kyle Carter and defensive back Jordan Lucas.
“Quite frankly, I’m excited for all the other guys in the draft,” Rahne said. “I have the utmost confidence in each guy. It’s going to be great to see them represent Penn State on the national level.”
Wilkerson dismissed
In an expected move, Penn State cut ties with tight end Brent Wilkerson on Wednesday. The fifth-year senior had been charged with indecent assault in March and did not participate in spring practice.
“Brent Wilkerson is no longer a member of the Penn State football team due to a violation of team rules,” the program said in a statement. “We appreciate Brent’s contributions to the program and wish him success in the future.”
Without Wilkerson, who saw the field frequently in 2015 primarily as a blocker, the Lions have only one tight end with college experience in junior Mike Gesicki.
He is joined by freshmen Nick Bowers, Jon Holland and Danny Dalton as well as senior walk-on Tom Pancoast.
Rahne said Gesicki had made an effort to step up as a leader in Wilkerson’s absence.
“He’s done a nice job with that,” Rahne said. “It’s not something that comes particularly natural to him. But I do think he’s been working hard to take a leadership role while also knowing he had his own things to focus on.
“He did a nice job of balancing things. For some guys (that leadership) comes naturally. He’s had to work at it, and he’s done well.”
