Jets take the plunge, select Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg

At about 8:45 p.m. ET on Friday, everyone wished the NFL draft still took place in New York City.

Oh, to see the mass reaction of New York Jets fans when their team took Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg with the 51st overall pick.

(Getty Images) The Jets keep collecting quarterbacks, apparently hoping one of their flawed picks hits. Geno Smith didn’t work out. Apparently the Jets have already given up on Bryce Petty, who was a fourth-round pick just last year. Now they have Hackenberg, one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft.

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Hackenberg was promising as a freshman. That seems long ago. After that he was incredibly inaccurate and not very productive. It’s amazing that Hackenberg was drafted ahead of Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook. The Jets have a lot of work to do with Hackenberg — who does have a good arm and did have that freshman success long, long ago — and they’ll try to bring him along in a quarterback-starved market with an impatient fan base. Should be fun.

The pick also might affect Ryan Fitzpatrick’s future. A long-term deal with Fitzpatrick would seem strange now. Would Fitzpatrick take a short deal? The two sides don’t appear close on money, and maybe this will be another stumbling block.

The Jets have become adept at wasting picks on quarterbacks they discard shortly after. We’ll see if Hackenberg is any different. If not the Jets fans will let the team know about it, and it won’t take long before they voice their displeasure.