Can Green Bay Packers make Brett Hundley into a star?

The Green Bay Packers drafted UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley in the fifth round but can they turn the former Bruins quarterback into a star in the NFL?

Brett Hundley was one of the best quarterbacks in college football the last two years at UCLA, but his college success didn’t translate in the eyes of NFL scouts and general managers and that’s why he lasted until the fifth round.

Hundley did a lot of things well at UCLA where he went 29-11 as the starter, including a perfect 3-0 against the rival Trojans of USC. His 29 wins were the second most in school history, his 11,713 yards of offense and 106 combined touchdowns set new program records. He was an accurate passer with a career 67.4 completion percentage, the second best mark in conference history, but his precision doesn’t correlate to his stats.

He was viewed as a potential first round pick after his 2014 season when he had a 69.1 completion percentage and only threw five interceptions, but he was raw as a passer and returned to UCLA where he completed his degree and worked to refine his game.

I don’t think he would have been better served by returning to Westwood for his last year of eligibility, but I do think he can be a capable player in the NFL because he landed in a great situation with the Packers.

The Packers hope Hundley won’t have to take any meaningful snaps in a Packers uniform because they have two-time MVP and arguably the best quarterback in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers, but that’s a good thing for Hundley.

He will be able to work in conjunction with Rodgers on the practice field and in the quarterback meeting room where Hundley can watch how Rodgers attacks his film study and prepares during the week to dominate on Sunday. He won’t have his development stunted by being thrown to the fire before he’s ready, like Geno Smith had happen in New York or countless other quarterbacks who took their lumps on the field before learning how to be an NFL quarterback.

With head coach Mike McCarthy a good teacher and Alex Van Pelt his position coach, Hundley is about to enter a graduate school of learning how to play quarterback and that will serve him well down the road, even if it’s not in Green Bay.

The Packers will want to see Hundley play well in training camp and fare well in the team’s preseason games before all his work in the regular season is done on the practice field and film room. His physical tools are there but his anticipation, precision and eyes need development. If the Packers can get Hundley to anticipate throws and get the ball out on the mark before receivers are open and waiting for the ball and he can break the habit of his tucking and running and not keeping his eyes downfield, he’ll be a player.

Green Bay has done it before in the past with backup quarterbacks like Mark Brunell, Ty Detmer and Aaron Brooks when they backed up Brett Favre after being mid-late round draft picks before enjoying success elsewhere. I envision a similar path for Hundley as those three because he’s not overtaking Rodgers, ever, and teams will be intrigued and offer a draft pick if he looks great in the preseason.

Just like recent backup quarterbacks like Matt Schaub and Ryan Mallett did at Atlanta and New England, respectively, before starting elsewhere. The Packers can turn Hundley into a starting caliber quarterback, but his success will have to come elsewhere.

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