When the Detroit Lions selected T.J. Hockenson with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the hope was that he would quickly establish himself as a top 5 tight end in the National Football League.
Fast forward to the present and though Hockenson has shown flashes of brilliance during his first three seasons in the league, he really has not lived up to expectations.
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T.J. Hockenson named a Top 10 tight end in NFL
Heading into the 2021 season, many, including myself, thought Hockenson was going to have a breakout season but that was not the case as he caught 61 passes for 583 yards (career-low 9.6 yards per reception) and four touchdowns in 12 games before getting injured.
In a recent article published on CBSSports.com, Jordan Dajani ranked the Top 10 tight ends in the NFL and Hockenson came in at No. 8.
Here is what Dajani said about Hockenson:
We were all ready for a breakout season from Hockenson in 2022. He started off hot, as the Detroit Lions‘ tight end caught 16 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns in his first two contests, but then tapered off a bit. A hand injury landed him on injured reserve in December.
Despite how the campaign ended, Hockenson set a career high in receiving yards per game with 48.6, which ranked eighth among all tight ends, and boasted a 72.6% catch rate. He took a pretty big step backwards as a run blocker in 2021, according to PFF, but was still a reliable target who Jared Goff liked. Hockenson made the Pro Bowl in 2020, and maybe a career campaign is coming in 2022. His best football is ahead of him.
The Lions have already decided to use their fifth-year option on Hockenson. Now, it will be interesting to see if they give him a contract extension before the 2022 season or if they will wait a bit longer.
Nation, where would you rank Hockenson in the league as far as tight ends go?
