Jake Hanson Feature Story

Originally written May 17, 2022

On March 20, 2020, the Hanson family anxiously watched the 2020 National Football League entry draft. As each pick went by, and the draft neared conclusion, Scott and Sandy Hanson began to worry that they wouldn’t hear the name of their son who had worked his whole life for this moment. As the 6th round almost concluded, with the 208th overall pick in the draft, the Green Bay Packers would select, from the University of Oregon, Center, Jake Hanson. After all the years of hard work, determination, and overwhelming support from his family, Jake Hanson would achieve his dream of having the chance to play in the NFL.

Hanson grew up in Eureka, California, about 270 miles north of San Francisco. Jake started to play football when he was in 6th grade and, because of his size, he was able to play on a team with kids that were mostly older than him. Jake played AAA until high school when he played on the varsity team as a sophomore. Making the varsity team was essential to Jake because he could play with his older brother Josh Hanson, just as he had during the years of AAA. Josh was a senior during Jake’s sophomore year, and Jake always wanted to practice and train with his older brother.

“He’s been my mentor in football ever since I started playing. He pushes me to work hard and be the best I can be,” Jake said.

During his junior year of high school, NCAA Division I and II schools began to recruit Hanson. Two factors that led to Hanson being a standout during high school were his size and work ethic. Jake was training as often as he could and pushed himself to train as hard as Josh and other players that were older than him.

“The second I started going to Humboldt State University Jake asked me when he could come and work out with my teammates and me. He always wanted to keep up with us when we worked out,” Josh said.

During Hanson’s junior year of high school, he received an invitation from the University of Oregon. The family planned to tour both Oregon and Oregon State, but after touring the campus and facilities of the University of Oregon, Jake knew that was the school for him.

“Jake took the opportunity as fast as he could, and we canceled our trip to Oregon State. Oregon University was very welcoming to him,” Jake’s mother, Sandy Hanson said.

When Hanson began attending the University of Oregon he had to transition from high school to college-level football, not only in the sport overall but in a new position as well. Jake played tackle in high school but his new coach at Oregon wanted him to play center. Jake had to learn how to snap the ball along with the rest of the responsibilities that come with playing center.

“I was at the point where I could red-shirt my freshman year which allowed me to have a full year of practice and I eventually figured it all out,” Jake said.

With an impressive college career capped off with winning the 2020 Rose Bowl, Hanson was ready for the chance to get drafted into the NFL. Just like when they were growing up Josh was able to help Jake get ready for the next step in his career. Josh currently works as an athletic trainer in Arizona and helped train Jake to get ready for the NFL. The Hanson brothers worked out, practiced, and went over film together in order to give Jake the best shot at getting drafted.

As the draft went along Hanson became more and more anxious and worried that he wouldn’t get picked. Hanson described the process as rough and frustrating.

“It was not a fun day because of the stress. There was a lot of waiting and anxiety. By the time day three started I waited hours and looked at my phone every second,” Jake said.

Jake and his family were able to breathe a sigh of relief as Jake got the call from the Green Bay Packers. The news was a surprise because Jake had yet to be in contact with the Packers before the draft. However, Hanson’s dream of playing in the NFL came true.

In order to stay calm and be ready for training camp with the Packers Hanson made sure he would go in with confidence as he did throughout his career.

“I knew I was there for a reason,” Hanson said.

“If you can’t trust yourself to do something then you’re not going to do it, even if you can. Once I was able to play free of any kind of anxiety it helped me become an even better player.”

As an NFL player, Hanson is grateful for everything he has been able to learn, not only from his new coaches but from his teammates as well who have been playing in the NFL for years. Their knowledge has been invaluable to Hanson and they have been important in his development as a professional athlete.

“They show me how to be a pro. What to do when I come to the building for practice every day, and how to handle myself. They show me things that I wouldn’t learn from a coach,” Hanson said.

Hanson is currently at training camp in Green Bay working on having an impact on the team for this upcoming season.