Getty T.J. Hockenson leaves the field after a Lions loss to the Bengals in 2021.
Though he’s been solid over his first few seasons in the league, Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson seems far from satisfied with his performance.
Hockenson is always looking for another edge, and once again, he will be training alongside some of the top players at his position in the league while trying to chase it down in 2022.
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Once again, Hockenson has been confirmed to be joining the group at TEU, or tight end university which is presented by Charmin. It’s an offseason training program that is headed up by George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Greg Olson that helps bring tight ends together for offseason training work together.
Here’s a look at the announcement:
The last few offseasons, Hockenson has also joined his good friend Kittle and company to work on the field. The results have shown themselves, as only health has prevented Hockenson from becoming truthfully elite in the league at his position.
This year, he will be looking to grab even more tips to continue his hopeful assault on the league.
Hockenson Hoping to Make Fourth-Year Strides in Detroit
Already a Pro Bowler once before, Hockenson likely wants to see his game transform to the next level in terms of production where he can make that honor habitual as well as chase down potential All-Pro designations. There’s no reason Hockenson can’t be one of the more productive tight ends in the league in short order, but he will have to find more consistency in order to be thought of as completely elite by the masses. The Lions will have several weapons on offense to go around, but Hockenson can definitely be a major red zone weapon as he showed in 2021. Perhaps his best catch came against Green Bay:
Plays such as that are ones that Hockenson will be looking to turn in consistently in 2022. With the advantage of being able to put his head together with other stars at his position, Hockenson can transform himself in a big way to a player that can make moves like that a regularity on the field with more time and tips.
Hockenson’s Career Stats & Highlights
There is simply no understating the importance of Hockenson to the Lions in the future moving forward in 2022 and beyond. The team hasn’t gotten much of anything from any of the other tight ends on their roster the last few years, and while he hasn’t had the most dramatic statistical impact thus far in his career, Hockenson has easily been one of the team’s top young players in 2019 and 2020 and a player capable of impacting both the run and the passing games on the field.
During his rookie season in 2019 after being a first-round pick out of Iowa, many fans were upset with Hockenson for not making a bigger impact on the game. He had only 367 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year which is not the statistical impact that many people expected from him as a top selection for the team. 2020 was a major bounce back from that, though, and Hockenson put up 723 yards and 6 touchdowns to rebound well. In 2021, he put up 583 yards and 4 touchdowns and at times was the only top pass catcher for the team given other injuries on the roster.
Here’s a look at some of Hockenson’s biggest career plays from 2020 season:
Clearly, Hockenson is on the right track to being thought of as one of the best players in the league at his position. He wants to keep learning and growing, which is why it’s so cool to see him continue to come together with some of the best of the best at his position in the league.
Perhaps soon, Hockenson can be thought of as the best tight ends in football as a result of his continued dedication to his craft.