Austin Hooper, TE, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns made a number of wise moves – and we will get to one more in a minute – but the addition of Austin Hooper has to be near the top. Kevin Stefanski last season with the Minnesota Vikings relied heavily on 12 offensive personnel, running that package on 35 percent of their offensive snaps. Only the Philadelphia Eagles ran 12 personnel more as a percentage of their plays, using it 54 percent of the time. What does this mean? It means that the Browns will face a lot of “base” defenses when they use this group.
That bodes well for Hooper. While he has struggled at times to win against one-on-one man coverage, the usage of 12 personnel will give him some advantageous matchups. He will see more linebackers and safeties in coverage, giving him the chance to find space and run away from such defenders. That, plus having Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry on the outside, and his potential running mate in David Njoku, will give him a ton of targets next season. Plus, Stefanski loves to use play-action designs working off of outside zone run fakes, getting the tight end involved either in the flat or on crossing routes. That is exactly the type of offense Hooper has been used in the past few seasons.