Chad Hansen Can Be Next Great Cal Receiver in the NFL

Having declared for the NFL draft after a stellar 2016 season, Cal’s Chad Hansen has a chance to be the next big NFL wide receiver out of Cal.

Earlier this week, Cal wide receiver Chad Hansen announced his intentions to forego his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft. The decision makes a lot of sense. Hansen is coming off a fantastic year, during which he led the Pac-12 with 92 catches and 1,249 yards, and caught 11 touchdowns. Quarterback Davis Webb, who graduated from Texas Tech and transferred to Cal for the 2016 season, is also headed to the NFL. That leaves the quarterback position in flux for the Bears, so Hansen is striking while the iron is hot. His draft stock next year probably won’t be as high as it is right now.

And Hansen has the opportunity to become another good NFL wide receiver to come out of Berkeley.

Over the past decade or so, the Bears have sent plenty of wide receivers to the League, and many of them have played big roles at the next level. It all started in 2008, with DeSean Jackson.

From the 2005 season to 2007, Jackson became one of the best deep threats in the country while wearing a Golden Bear uniform. He caught 162 passes in college for 2,423 yards and 22 touchdowns, and was a prolific punt returner as well. He returned 38 punts for 633 (a 16.7-yard average), and took six to the house. He was twice named a First-Team All-American as a return man, and twice named First-Team All-Pac-10 as a receiver. He also entered the draft a year early, and was picked in the second round (49th overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Since entering the league, Jackson has become one of the most prolific receivers to ever come out of Cal. No former Bear has caught more passes than Jackson’s 498 for more yards than Jackson’s 8,819. Only two players have caught more touchdowns than Jackson’s 46 (Wesley Walker caught 71 between 1977 and 1989, and Isaac Curtis caught 53 from 1973 to 1984).

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Also drafted that year was Lavelle Hawkins, who was twice on the All-Pac-10’s Second-Team during his college tenure. Though his NFL career wasn’t as long or successful as Jackson’s, he still managed to catch 71 passes over six pro seasons.

In 2012, Marvin Jones came out of Cal and was drafted in the fifth round (166th overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals. He worked his way into a bigger role with the team, and eventually became a quite productive player. He missed all of the 2014 season because of injuries, but has caught 50-plus passes for over 700 yards in the last three seasons he’s played. In 2016, his first season with the Detroit Lions, he finished second on the team with a career-high 930 yards.

He wasn’t drafted in 2012, but Jeremy Ross has been able to carve his own niche in the NFL. His impact has been less as a receiver (43 receptions, 506 yards, three touchdowns), and more as a return specialist (11.2 yards per punt return, 24.4 yards per kick return, two touchdowns).

It was Keenan Allen‘s turn in 2013. He is still the school’s all-time receptions leader with 205 grabs, and is third with 2,570 yards and eight with 17 scores. After being picked in the third round (76th overall), he caught over 70 passes in each of his first two seasons. In 2015, he was leading the NFL with 67 catches through eight games, but missed the last half of the season with a kidney injury. His 2016 return was cut short during the first game. He caught six balls before suffering an ACL tear.

Chris Harper was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015 with the New England Patriots. He spent most of the season on the practice squad, but was able to make his first NFL catch late in the year. In 2016, he moved on to the San Francisco 49ers, where he became a good option late in the year. He caught 13 passes for 133 yards in nine games (two starts).

A pair of Cal receivers heard their names called on draft day in 2016. Trevor Davis was picked in the fifth round (163rd overall) by the Green Bay Packers, and Kenny Lawler was taken in the seventh round (243rd overall) by the Seattle Seahawks. Lawler spent the entire season on the Seahawks’ practice squad, but Davis played a role with Green Bay mostly as a returner. He returned nine punts for 115 yards, and did catch his first career touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers.