TE T.J. Hockenson, Iowa**

6’5” – 251 lbs. – 4.70
Redshirted in 2016, then ended up with a 24-320-3 line the following season. Won the Mackey Award this past year following a 49-760-6 season, then declared for the draft. Big tight end who worked as an inline “Y” in Iowa’s pro-style offense, but who would also take snaps outside, typically motioning in tighter to the formation to seal defensive ends inside in the run game. Primary value to a team is as an athletic pass-catcher. Releases well through congestion at the line of scrimmage. Able to use a swim move or dip his shoulder and slip by second-level defenders in zones. Pretty good route-runner who has some snap to his patterns and can create separation when working the middle of the field. Does a good job of navigating through tight spaces when working over the middle. Runs flat enough to maintain inside position and has the frame to shield defenders from the ball. Has enough speed to threaten defenses down the seams on vertical routes, tracking the ball well over his shoulder. Good focus to work through contact and come down with catches in tight coverage. Could do a better job of recognizing zone and breaking off routes to settle into soft spots rather than running himself into coverage. Was asked to execute a variety of blocking assignments, including a lot of blocking on angles. For a big tight end, however, blocking leaves something to be desired, both in terms of his awareness and in terms of his technique. Really struggles to line up opponents and ends up falling off of blocks because of poor balance/waist-bending. Struggles to recognize opponents rushing off the edge, forcing clumsy attempts to recover positioning. Works through the whistle and demonstrates good physicality and leg drive, but struggles to get his hands in, lock on, and sustain through the whistle. Best trait as a blocker is his short-area quickness to climb up to the second level and get in the way. Has the size, athletic ability, and motor to eventually develop into a solid blocker with coaching and may have benefited from spending more time in the Iowa program. A big, athletic tight end who comes from a program with a long history of producing solid pro tight ends and who was asked to play a very pro-style role in his team’s offense, but whose blocking is too inconsistent at this point. Looks like he’ll still end up going in the first round in a class which is fairly light at the top in terms of skill-position players, but may have benefited from a return to school.