Lions selected Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Hockenson (6’5/251) went pro after earning the 2018 Mackey Award as a redshirt sophomore, finishing what amounted to a two-year career with 73/1,080/9 (14.8 YPR) receiving working in tandem with Noah Fant. In 2018, 35 of Hockenson’s 49 catches went for first downs or touchdowns (71.4%). Surer handed and a superior in-line blocker to his Iowa teammate, Hockenson also showed high-end athleticism by testing in the 88 th -SPARQ percentile with a 4.7-flat forty, 37.5-inch vertical, and 7.02 three-cone time in Indy. This draft’s most well-rounded tight end, Hockenson has drawn Travis Kelce comparisons for his physical nature in the run and pass games. Tight end was a huge hole in Detroit after the Lions ran out a hodgepodge combination of Luke Willson, Hakeem Valles, Michael Roberts, and Levine Toilolo in 2018.
Apr 25, 2019, 7:16 PM