SCOUTING REPORT T.J. Hockenson, Lions tight end
Information for this reportwas obtained fromNFL scouts.
T.J. Hockenson, 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, is in his second season with the Lions after they drafted him atNo. 8 in 2019. Hockenson leads the teamwith 45 receptions, 530 yards and five touchdowns but hasn’t been a main cog in the passing game, especially with wide receiver Kenny Golladaymissing much of the season with injuries.
It’s interesting to look back on the draft andwonder if the Lionswould have been better offwith edge rusher Brian Burns, whowent 16th to the Carolina Panthers, ormaybe defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, whowent three picks later to the Tennessee Titans. Given the state of the Lions defense and front seven, they’re fair questions. But it’s always easy to have 20/20 hindsight when it comes to the draft.
“He’s struggling to live up to his draft status, but look at the offensive structure and what they dowith him,” the scout said. “I thought hewould be used a lot more. They do scheme stuff for him on crossers. They use the tight end screen and they’re trying to cut him loose in the open field where he’s got solid traits as an open-field runner because he’s got some speed and he’s some power to finish. He’s a really good receiver. Is he a great receiver? Not yet. He’s physical as a blocker and he helps them in the run game but he hasn’t lived up to being a top-10 pick at this point. A lot of that is scheme and opportunity, and he’s not a volume target in that offense.
“Hockenson is a guy that can get eight to 10 targets a gameand be very productive depending on the matchup. He’s a guy that can be flexed fromthe formation and get isolation matchups, which you don’t see very oftenwith Detroit. He’s part of specific route combinations and it’s also the quarterback. The last two years MatthewStafford has been a much more vertical thrower, and that’s where he takes his shots— to the wide receivers. Hewants to be aggressive and push the ball over the top of the defense and that makes Hockenson a secondary target underneath.
“This guy should be a primary target in the red zone and definitely inside the 10-yard line. Why isn’t he? Why isn’t he the iso target on the backside of a 3-by-1 formation? I can’t tell you that. He still has a high ceiling but it hasn’t happened yet. He needs a coach thatwants to utilize the tight end as amove player. He’s not as twitchy as George Kittle but he has enough to be a similar guy in an offense. The best thing for him is already starting with Matt Patricia gone. That’s what I would look for as an owner— someone that has an idea of howto use a playerwe drafted in the top 10. Otherwise, why did we draft this guy?”
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