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Lions fans are starting to see what
Iowa fans have been bragging about for the past two seasons. Former Hawkeye tight end T.J.
Hockenson has been a star through the first few days of Detroit's practices.
One Twitter account mentioned that Hockenson likely has double-digit touchdowns
through the first two days of training camp.
The
6-foot-5 251-pound tight end was drafted by the Detroit Lions at number eight
overall. He became the fourth tight end to be drafted in the top ten since
1997. At No. 8 overall, Hockenson is the highest drafted TE since Vernon
Davis went 6th overall in 2006.
In
2017, he recorded 24 receptions for 320 yards and three touchdowns. The
following year, he tallied 49 receptions for 760 yards, six touchdowns and was
the winner of the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation's top tight
end.
"You're working day in and day out
and if you get caught up in that [fame and glory] then you're wrong,"
Hockenson told Iowa media in March. "There's been so many things that have
gotten me to this point. There's been hard work-- so many people have gotten me
here. This University has gotten me so far and you need to remember that and go
back to that and not get caught up in that. It's all just a distraction and you
got to eliminate those distractions to do your job."
He
continued, "You're going to push yourself and I'm going to push myself.
I'm going to do the same things that I did to get me here and I'm going to do
that at the next level. That's what some people forget about."
Hockenson
wasn't on the NFL radar entering his redshirt sophomore season but he quickly
emerged as the best tight end in college football thanks to his blue-collar
mentality and performance. He's like a tight end back in the 80s that could
block and run a route. NFL
Analyst Daniel Jeremiah called Hockenson "the best blocking tight end"
that he has ever evaluated.
Hockenson's
ability to catch the ball over the middle while getting hit is second to none.
He has strong hands, sharp cuts and a mean-streak as an offensive weapon. He's going to
be one of the safest picks in the NFL Draft.
Lions
fans have seen a top-10 tight end pick fizzle out and not live up to the lofty
expectations, so fans were hestitant to trust the Hockenson selection.
Although, so far, Hockenson is picking right back up where he left off at
Iowa.
