The Detroit Lions selected tight end T.J. Hockenson out of Iowa with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Detroit desperately needed a new starting tight end. The position was mostly anonymous in 2018 after the team allowed Eric Ebron, its former first-rounder, to leave in free agency.
The Lions' tight ends had a combined 45 catches in 2018. Hockenson, the Mackey Award winner, boasts a complete skill set; he's considered an elite receiving threat and is one of the draft's best blocking tight ends.
Detroit signed Jesse James in free agency, which should give Matthew Stafford a reliable one-two punch.
Hockenson is the ninth tight end in the last 11 drafts to go in the opening round, and the third to go to Detroit (Ebron and Brandon Pettigrew).
Prospect profile
School: Iowa
Height: 6-5
Weight: 251 lbs
Strengths
- Excels in every phase of game
- Good athlete
- Smooth at top of routes and can separate from defenders
- Shields catch point and uses body well in traffic
- Excellent concentration and over-the-shoulder ball-tracking
- Feisty blocker, especially in run game
- Able to make defenders miss after catch
- Good hands - not many dropped passes
Weaknesses
- Lacks elite burst off line of scrimmage
- Can struggle high-pointing ball in air
- Deep speed not elite
Bottom line
Hockenson is a rare tight end prospect with a polished all-around game. He's an advanced player despite only two years of college experience and is still just scratching the surface of his potential. The 2018 John Mackey Award winner doesn't have any glaring weaknesses in his game and profiles as a Day 1 starter in the pros.