Green Bay Packers 2017 Draft: Q&A with California wide receiver Chad Hansen

Ask any scout, including those Green Bay Packers scouts, about the most coveted traits they look for when evaluating wide receivers and chances are they’ll rank route running somewhere in the top three characteristics a player must have to line up wide and catch footballs.

Running a variety of patterns, executing sharp cuts out of your breaks and reading the coverage on the other side of the ball are all things NFL receivers will be expected to do if they hope to earn a roster spot, let alone become a starter.

This is why so many talent evaluators will carefully examine the route tree of every  prospect on their draft board in the effort of determining how much time and work a specific wideout may require to get up to speed.

Coming out the University of California’s Air Raid offense, Chad Hansen was a major part of a prolific, but rather simplistic, scheme designed to put pressure on the defense by running the maximum amount of plays in a minimum amount of time.

The big, but elusive, playmaker ran nothing more but a handful of quick screens, perimeter outs and verticals when exploding for several gains of 20-plus yards (23 in his breakout redshirt junior campaign) and he accomplished that feat by lining up on the right side every snap.

Running every play from the same spot was part and parcel of former coach Sonny Dykes’ philosophy of simplifying each individual receiver’s assignments by instructing them to run each pattern from only one side, which not only served to facilitate the receiver’s task, but also the quarterback’s.

As a self-professed “late bloomer,” Hansen spent much of his early years at the receiver position in high school and as a college freshman at Idaho State not only getting bigger and stronger, but laser focused on mastering the technical side of the game.

While many marvel at his 2016 tape that saw the 6-foot-2, 205 student athlete produce 1,249 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns by running past defenders, as well as going over them, one may overlook how the former Golden Bear put himself in position to make those highlight-reel plays.

He was frequently successful because of his ability to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage due to his quick feet and the use of his head, shoulders and hands to prevent his opponent from holding him up or throwing off his timing.

In the pros, Hansen will be treated to a considerable amount of press man coverage—much more than he’s was used to in the Big 12—and many of the corners applying it will be of the 6-foot, 200-pound variety that can bench 400 pounds plus.

Teaching a talented receiver a more intricate route tree is something that can be accomplished (see DeMaryius Thomas), but getting off the line is an art in its own right and without that skill, the best route running in the world wouldn’t help a raw youngster in his hopes of developing into an established veteran.

Hansen’s story reads much like a Disney tale of a non-descript underdog accepting his only scholarship offer at Idaho State, but never letting go of his dream of excelling at a Power-5 program.

The rookie-in-training has often recounted how he began high school as a skinny 5-foot-3 afterthought that was forced to find ways to “outwit” defenders to get open before he eventually hitting his growth spurt and blossoming into a weapon that didn’t have to rely on deception and guile alone to get ahead.

The 2016 Second-Team All-Conference standout in the Big 12 is no longer that dark horse or west coast version of Rudy; he’s a self-made top-level prospect that possesses the athletic tools to match his heart and overall work ethic.

Nice stories don’t get drafted in the top five at their position. Often compared to Jordy Nelson, Hansen has the 9-year veteran’s size and burst to separate for big yardage after the catch, not to mention his willingness to go up and compete for the football.

The 22-year-old recently agreed to an interview with Lombardi Ave in which the thoughtful competitor made his case for why he should be regarded as one of the premiere wide receivers in this year draft class.

Turn the page for this aspiring pro’s thoughts in his own words …