NFL Draft 2019 Day 1

Well, that's exciting.

With the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft the Detroit Lions select... TE T. J. Hockenson from Iowa.

Yep, that's right, the Detroit Lions picked yet another tight end in the first round of the draft. In 2009 it was Brandon Pettigrew and in 2014 it was Eric Ebron (whilst passing on DT Donald). This year DT Ed Oliver was there for the taking (went 9th overall to the Buffalo Bills) when the Lions turned in their card for TE Hockenson. Sounds like a broken record, almost like the three wide receiver score by Matt Millen years ago. But actually, it's nothing like that at all.

You see, T. J. Hockenson can actually block and catch the football, has good hands, and is a hard working football player. In other words, he can actually play the position. He'll be 22 in July (21 when drafted). He's 6' 4 3/4" tall weighs in at 251 pounds with 9 1/2" hands. He has an RAS score of 9.21 with great agility, elite explosion, and good size and speed.

One draft publication has this to say about him

"OUTLOOK: A first down waiting to happen, you might as well call him, “Mr. Automatic.” Hockenson plays beyond the whistle. He would be an all-pro fullback, the fact that he possesses the size to play tight end and can be a receiving threat as well, makes him a blue chip prospect at his position. After an outstanding season, in which he accumulated 760 receiving yards on 49 receptions and six touchdowns, Hockenson was awarded with the 2018 John Mackey Award as top tight end in the nation. He also took home the Ozzie Newsome Award and First-Team All-American honors. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Hockenson go in the top ten.

PROS: The way he is able to be used is an offensive coordinators dream. He can play inline, he can play outside, h-back, fullback and is a mismatch for linebackers or safeties. He’s a banger; big time blocks and train wreck collisions coming at you. An exceptional blocker who does a nice job of seeking out his targets in the second level and holding his blocks on the seal. He puts emphasis on getting proper positioning. Possesses great size, above average athleticism and certified toughness.

CONS: He can be a bit wild out there in the open field and will get a bit reckless, forgetting technique. His route running could stand to use some sharpening, he tends to get sloppy feet on occasion and will round off his cuts. Overall, this is a pretty clean player, if you want to criticize his speed you can, as he doesn’t run as fast as some of the other pass-catching tight end prospects. Has just 23 games played for his career and is one of the least experienced players in this year’s class.

COMPARISON: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles – The complete package, Hockenson can do it all and could join Ertz one day as one of the NFL’s premier tight ends."

The only thing lacking in his profile is the 17 bench presses, which means he needs a study NFL diet of nutrition and workouts, which he about to start getting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqU9EfOGVK0 Highlights

He is on the Lions contact list, and I had him ranked at 7th overall. Does that mean I would've drafted him instead of making my DL rock super solid by drafting Ed Oliver? Nope. I would've taken Oliver. But I can at least understand why the Lions took T.J. now it's up to him to prove that the 3rd time is the charm.