Hack pick catches Decker off guard
Count Eric Decker among those taken aback by the Jets’ selection of Christian Hackenberg in the second round of the NFL Draft this year.
“I was a little surprised, to be honest,” Decker said Tuesday at the United Way of New York City’s annual Gridiron Gala.
Gang Green selected Hackenberg with the 51st overall pick, which was earlier than most people had expected.
“To get a quarterback in the second round, that’s a big decision,” Decker said. “You’re saying a lot about him.
“But again, Mike (Maccagnan), (the front office), they scout, they do their research and their homework for a reason,” the receiver added. “They saw something special in him. They wanted to get him earlier than later, I guess.”
Decker said he has gotten to work with Hackenberg a little and that the Penn State quarterback is bigger than he expected. Hackenberg most likely will begin the season learning from the bench while he transitions to the NFL.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, is still unsigned. A protracted negotiation has kept him a free agent, though the Jets would still like to sign him.
The Jets have Hackenberg, Geno Smith and Bryce Petty on their roster, but Decker made it clear that his preference is for Fitzpatrick to be the quarterback.
“Just because of the camaraderie we’ve built and the relationship we had this past year and what we can build upon, I think he definitely is the right man for the type of team we have now,” Decker said. “It’s a team that I think is ready to win now. And we need someone, a veteran presence, at the quarterback position.”
Smith was at the event but declined all football questions.
Decker was honored at the event as a “Hometown Hero” for his charity work. The gala raises money for low-income children in New York City . ... Nick Folk missed the second half of last season due to a quadriceps injury, but the kicker said he is back to 100%.
WOODY ON FITZ: Woody Johnson isn’t in a rush to get a deal done with Fitzpatrick.
“We’ve got some time here. Training camp’s not for another, what, couple months?” the Jets owner said at the BTIG Charity Day in Manhattan. “I don’t think there’s any real urgency at this point.”
Johnson added there was “no news to report” regarding the negotiation.
“We’ve got ’til training camp, really, to get something done,” Johnson said, reiterating the timeline that Todd Bowles has previously mentioned. “By training camp you really have to have your quarterback in there.”
Jets legend Joe Namath, at the event as well, also weighed in on whether Fitzpatrick would be back with the Jets.
“I think he should (return),” Namath said. “It’s a good team, you want to be on a good team. I’m hoping that he wants to come back.” Jets say this cousin ain’t it. Gang Green decided against signing Terron Beckham − cousin of electric Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. − who attended a minicamp tryout last weekend.
Despite not playing a down of football since high school, Terron, who arrived at the tryout sporting a flashy blue ’do, caused a media stir after posting impressive workout numbers at his private Pro Day in April, including a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, 36 reps on the bench press, and a 44.5-inch jump on the vertical.
But while he dazzled during his workouts, Beckham fumbled in his first, and only, carry in 11-on-11 drills Friday.