Chad Hansen: Declares for NFL draft

Hansen, a receiver from California, will enter the 2017 NFL Draft.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Hansen is a surprising draft entrant given that he was prominently featured for only one season at California, but he's an interesting mid-to-late round consideration. A former Idaho State transfer who walked on initially at Cal, Hansen was thoroughly dominant in 2016, catching 92 passes for 1,249 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games despite missing two games with an ankle injury. Those numbers include strong showings against tough defenses like Utah, Stanford, and Washington, against which he combined for 17 catches for 282 yards and five touchdowns. The Cal passing game certainly had a lot of volume to go around -- it attempted just under 52 passes per game -- but Hansen deserves credit for earning a large share of that volume while dealing with dubious quarterback play. With a small sample of work and a lack of recruiting pedigree, Hansen will have more at stake than most when the Combine arrives, but on film he seems to show adequate speed along with strong short-area explosiveness ideal for precise route running. The most concerning anecdote in Hansen's prospect profile is the fact that he was behind all of Bryce Treggs, Kenny Lawler, Darius Powe, Trevor Davis, Maurice Harris and Stephen Anderson in the Cal receiving rotation during the 2015 season. None are anything more than fringe NFL prospects, but it can be rationalized to some extent by the fact that Hansen was new to the Cal system while all of the previously mentioned players were in at least their fourth seasons. Also, Hansen was far better in 2016 than any of them were at any point. Hansen will turn 22 on Jan. 18.