T.J. Hockenson Climbs Key 2021 List of Top NFL Tight Ends

The Detroit Lions hoped they got things right when they drafted T.J. Hockenson within the top 10 of the 2019 NFL Draft, and it appears that is starting to become the case.

While the Lions don’t typically generate a ton of buzz in terms of having top players in the league at any position, that has begun to change more than a bit this offseason, and Hockenson is simply the latest player who is beginning to finally get some due for what he can accomplish on the field.

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Ahead of the 2021 season, Pro Football Focus took a look at ranking players at every position in the league, and when it came to the tight end spot, there was a slight surprise. Hockenson cracked writer Ben Linsey’s top 32 list in the seven spot, and it’s clear he believes Hockenson could be poised for a solid career.

As he wrote:

“Tight end is a position where it often takes players a year or two to acclimate to life in the NFL. We saw Hockenson start to do just that in 2020, raising his PFF grade from 60.5 as a rookie to 75.4 this past season.

The former top-10 pick recorded both receiving and run-blocking grades of at least 70.0 in 2020. He’s not ever going to offer the kind of tantalizing receiving ability that made Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history, but he does offer a solid all-around game that can make him a top-10 tight end in the league year in and year out.”

Seeing Hockenson become a perennial top 10 tight end target in the league would be huge news for the Lions considering their struggles at the spot through the years. Obviously, Hockenson will have to keep producing in order to justify this ranking, but it’s nice to see him being held in such a high regard ahead of a new season.

Hockenson’s Career Stats

A look at Hockenson’s stats so far shows a player that could be worthy of a top 10 ranking in league circles. In his rookie season, Hockenson put up 367 yards and 2 touchdowns. As a sophomore in the league, Hockenson improved those numbers to 723 yards and 6 touchdowns. With that change in mind, it’s clear that Hockenson has been progressing in the right way to be able to take a leap forward in the future with regard to his play.

In college, Hockenson had 1,080 yards and 9 scores and made a habit of improving from one season to the next, so it’s reasonable to assume that he could once again turn that trick at the NFL level.

Hockenson Called Potential Breakout Star

It’s clear folks are beginning to wake up to Hockenson becoming a player to watch at the position well into the future. While the Lions have several notable roster holes that every fan knows about this offseason, they also have young talent at a few spots where the team could theoretically have some top talents in the league. On the offensive side of the ball, quietly, Detroit might have one of the league’s best breakout stars in the form of Hockenson.

According to Pro Football Focus a few months before this article, Hockenson is trending to become the next elite tight end in the NFL, and have a major breakout season come 2021. The site recently made this bold prediction for the future.

Hockenson’s solid play culminated in a Pro Bowl invite, and it’s possible that might only be the beginning for the tight end in terms of his future. Hockenson trained with George Kittle again this offseason, and it’s possible that the tight end taught him plenty tricks of the trade in terms of getting to the next level in their meetings.

It’s clear PFF is very bullish on Hockenson becoming a star at the NFL level. Lions fans are looking forward to see if that will be the case.

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