Watch out for Fresno State QB Jake Haener in 2022

Jake Haener, QB, Fresno State 4th Year Senior, 2nd Year Starter 6'1", 194 lbs, 23 yrs*

Games watched: CSU, USU, NEV, UNM (4/6) Best Game: Utah St Worst Game: New Mexico

Jake Haener is far from perfect, but at this point I would be quite surprised if he didn't go on day 1 or 2 next year. Unfortunately there is no film available from his worst game of the season against Hawaii.

Pros:

-Has a solid arm; around league average for the NFL. Doesn't have issues putting zip on the ball.

-Very athletic. Excellent top speed, dangerous acceleration and dynamic agility in the pocket.

-Very accurate. Generally good accuracy throwing short, and is especially good in the 20-40 yard range. Makes every type of throw.

-Has potentially elite arm talent. Makes more big time throws than any other QB in the class other than Rattler and maybe Howell. Has a fantastic seam ball, and can make beautiful intermediate throws on the run.

-And he does throw really well on the run; isn't remotely afraid of it.

-Usually throws well under pressure and doesn't worry about getting hit. After a long game he starts to get jittery and bail out mid throw sometimes, but he gets a lot, so this isn't all that concerning.

-Does a good job of protecting the football. Goes through progressions with little issue. Has a strong football IQ for a first year starter.

-Breaks sacks at a decent level and runs with far more power than someone of his size normally would. Literally trucked a linebacker; he plays like 215 pound guy.

-Definitely has the "it" factor.

Cons:

-Footwork tends to be all over the place.

-Lacks poise in the pocket; gets really sloppy and takes unnecessary sacks and doesn't escape as much as someone with his footspeed should. Bails out of clean pockets more than is ideal, but he plays behind a seriously terrible O-line, so I have faith this can be resolved.

-Got seriously rattled against New Mexico when they sent frequent blitzes. Looked paranoid, made bad decisions and got less accurate after being sacked 8 times and roughed 3. Arm talent still showed up though as his last throw of the game was a perfectly placed 35 yard strike for a TD in (essentially) garbage time.

-Isn't dangerous at all when scrambling; just goes down when he doesn't have grass in front of him.

-Doesn't throw it deep much, and looks only okay when he does.

-Really seems to lack game feel sometimes.

Concerns:

-He's 6'1", 194. That is extremely light for a QB. And seeing him get banged against UNM on a hit to the ankle makes me worry even more.

-He's currently only logged 1 year as a starter, and he only played 6 games. This is a very limited sample size. He also didn't develop heavily, with his best games coming in the middle. It should also be mentioned that he could develop at an above average next year because of this lack of starting though.

-Got lots of easy throws due to heavy utilization of 5 wide sets, although after all the big time throws he made I'm only worried about his ability to make plus throws on a down to down basis, which he doesn't usually have to do.

Right now I have him as a fringe first rounder. The arm talent he consistently displays combined with arm strength, mobility and football IQ leave me no other choice. He certainly has a lot to prove next year, but all of his playmakers are still around. Nothing is guaranteed, but this is a guy with almost Rattler level arm talent that pretty much no one is talking about. Let me know what you think below.