2019 Rookie report: T.J Hockenson

From snap counts to a historic start to his career, we review the rookie season of Detroit Lions first-round pick T.J. Hockenson.

Despite getting the top tight end prospect in a draft class loaded with talent at the position, many fans weren’t too thrilled with the Detroit Lions selecting T.J Hockenson with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Just a month prior, the team signed veteran tight end Jesse James to a massive four-year $22.6 million contract, while also bringing in Logan Thomas to compete at the position, making the Hockenson pick even more of a head-scratcher.

The rookie had a historic start to his career, setting the league record for tight end receiving yards in an NFL debut. He ended his historic day with six receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown. While things looked bright for the rookie, his Week 1 stats ended up comprising over a third of his total season production.

Hockenson’s utilization on offense was mostly from the “F” tight end role; seeing more production as a slot receiver than a blocker. Lining up often in the slot, the rookie had some struggles getting open in the passing game, catching roughly 54-percent of the passes that came his way. Despite some disappointing results in the receiving game, Hockenson only dropped two passes throughout twelve games.

The rookie’s snap counts were indicative of Detroit’s committee approach at the tight end position. Hockenson shared his reps with both James and Thomas for most of the season, but the position group as a whole did not contribute much on offense.

His snaps on offense took a steady decline as the season went on. While part of this could be explained by his underwhelming play, the changes at quarterback are also to blame. With starting quarterback Matthew Stafford going down with a back injury, the Lions relied on both Jeff Driskel and David Blough to lead the offense for the second half of the season.

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had to adjust for these two backups’ playing styles and lack of NFL experience, leading to a decline in tight end usage as a whole.

His rookie season came to an unfortunate end after suffering a gruesome ankle injury at the end of this year’s Thanksgiving Day game. While this injury is the one that caused him to be placed on injured reserve, this was not the only injury that impacted his first year in the NFL. After trying to hurdle two defenders against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hockenson suffered a concussion and had to leave the game.

Hockenson’s freshman season in the NFL didn’t live up to the draft capital used to get him, but he did provide some optimistic glimpses into Detroit’s future. His play in the near-wins against both the Cardinals and Chiefs showed he is capable of being the Lions’ primary option at tight end.

The rookie out of Iowa finished the season with 32 receptions for 337 yards and two scores.

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Hopefully, he can enter the 2020 season healthy and ready to reunite with Stafford on offense. In year two, there’s much to look forward to from this rookie.