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ByDAVID EICKHOLT 4 hours ago
T.J. Hockenson has had a strong start to his 2020 season. After a
devastating ankle injury prematurely ended his rookie season, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star
has been a consistent weapon for Matthew Stafford.
In
Detroit's 26-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Hockenson finished with four
receptions totaling 53 yards. Following the performance, the Detroit Lions' PR
account tweeted out a feat that Hockenson has already accomplished this
season.
"(T.J. Hockenson) is the first TE
in franchise history to produce at least 50 receiving yards in each of the
first three games of a season. He is also the first Lions tight end to have 4+ receptions and 50+
yards in 3-straight games since TE Brandon Pettigrew did so in 2010."
Through
three games this season, Hockenson has 13 catches totaling 171 yards and one
touchdown. It's a solid start, especially considering that Hockenson told
reporters in August that he still doesn't feel one hundred percent.
During
his rookie season, the former Iowa star went on to appear in 12 games with
seven starts, hauling in 32 receptions on 59 targets for 367 yards and two
touchdowns.
Earlier
this offseason NFL.com writer Adam Rank previewed the Lions
2020 season and believes that Hockenson will be a breakout star for
Detroit this season.
“A lot of
people called the tight end "Patricia's Gronk" after Detroit selected
him at No. 8 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft,” Rank wrote. “And
those folks doubled down on that sentiment when Hockenson caught six passes for
131 yards and a touchdown in the season opener. But he never came close to that
kind of production again, totaling just 26 catches for 236 yards and a
touchdown over the rest of the season.
“Honestly,
not a huge surprise, considering A) the TE position usually takes a few NFL
seasons to master, B) Hockenson was limited by injuries and C) Stafford missed
half the year. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Hockenson can do in
2020.”
Prior to
the start of the season, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com said that Hockenson
is his breakout player for the Lions in the 2020 season.
"The
tight end position is probably the toughest for rookies to learn outside of
quarterback," wrote Twentyman. "It's essentially learning
three positions at once, and those guys have to know all the protections,
blocking schemes and then obviously the route tree and passing game
concepts."
"We
don't typically see tight ends come into the league and tear it up as rookies.
There's plenty examples, however, of guys having big second seasons, and that's
certainly what I expect from Detroit's first-round pick in 2019."
Hockenson was a star for the Hawkeyes
caught 24 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns over 13 games in 2017. But
he broke out as a redshirt sophomore, hauling in 49 catches for 760 yards and
six touchdowns en route to winning the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top
tight end and being named a first-team All-American.
The
former Iowa star is currently on pace to finish 2020 with 69 receptions
totaling 922 yards and five touchdowns. Hockenson and the Lions will
return to action on Sunday when they host the New Orleans Saints.
