After being selected by the Jets with the 51st overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Christian Hackenberg just never seemed to find his way in the NFL.

Now, it seems the 25-year-old former Penn State Nittany Lion is turning his attention to a career in baseball.

Hackenberg told NBC Sports Philadelphia that he believes he has plenty left to give as a professional athlete.

"As simple as I can put it, I just want to compete, man," Hackenberg said. "I kind of have had my trials and tribulations with the NFL and had success and had that roller coaster ride. At the end of the day, I'm sitting here, I'm 25, and … I feel like I've got a lot left in the tank."

A five-star recruit out of high school, Hackenberg had three up-and-down seasons at Penn State before declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft. His size (6-foot-4, 228 pounds) and arm strength alone made him an intriguing pro prospect, and the Jets ended up selecting him in the second round.

But he never caught on with Gang Green. He was inactive for most of his rookie season, and even when the Jets had their starting job up for grabs in 2017, Hackenberg still fell behind Josh McCown and Bryce Petty on the depth chart, and again was inactive for most of the season.

The Jets traded Hackenberg to the Oakland Raiders in 2018, and he went on to have brief stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals before ending up with the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football.

Hackenberg has never thrown a pass in a regular-season NFL game.

He's always had a strong arm, and is now throwing above 90 MPH, so perhaps baseball could be a better route.

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