4. Brycen Hopkins, TE, Purdue

Height: 6’5″ Weight: 255
40-Yard Dash: 4.8 seconds
Bench Press: 18 reps
Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches
Broad Jump: 9 feet 6 inches
3-Cone Drill: 6.78 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.27 seconds
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Bio: With an NFL lineage and an all-around background as an athlete, Brycen Hopkins is sure to get attention come draft time. His father, Brad, was a first-round selection as an offensive tackle by the Houston Oilers, who made two Pro Bowls during his time with the Oilers and then the Tennessee Titans. Brad, a three-sport athlete, wanted to pursue his first love basketball, but started playing football only as a junior in high school. He turned down a scholarship offer from Florida to play for the Boilermakers.

He first saw the field as a redshirt freshman in 2016, but took on more and more of a role in the Purdue offense each season. Last year was his most productive in college, as he caught 61 passes on 89 targets for 832 yards and seven touchdowns, all career highs.

Stat to Know: Hopkins, according to Pro Football Focus charting information, had 22 drops since 2016. That is eight more than any other tight end in this class.

Strengths: Out at Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine, Hopkins was asked who is his training with to get ready for the NFL. In an interview with Steelers Depot he gave this answer:

[My dad is] actually helping me train down in Boost Performance in Nashville. He’s got the line, he’s helping the o-line. I’m getting coached by [former Ravens’ wide receiver] Derrick Mason in the receiving game. My dad is actually a big part of the process.

That should provide some insight as to how Hopkins will best be used in the NFL. He is more a tight end in name only, and his best utilization in the league will be as a big slot, bigger-bodied receiver. He has burst off the line of scrimmage and after the catch, and he shows the ability to almost immediately transition from receiver to ball-carrier. His catch and run against TCU on a simple stick route is something you would love to see from a wide receiver, let alone a tight end:

Hopkins also has the ability to run away from most defenders who will be tasked with covering him. That ability to be a mismatch weapon is going to give his offensive coordinator a lot of flexibility in the NFL.

Despite his issue with drops, Hopkins has the ability to go up and get the football, and already has the wherewithal to attack the football at the high point. He is not the best route-runner at the position, but his combination of burst and speed makes him difficult to cover, and his route-running has improved over his time at Purdue. He also has the size to be a target down in the red zone, which is something teams will covet.

Weaknesses: Hopkins is perhaps a tight end in name only, and teams looking for that complete player might not value him as highly as others in this class. This might get more to his scheme fit and potential usage in the league. If you are aligning him as an inline tight end and asking him to block defensive ends one-on-one more than a handful of times a season, you are using him wrong. Put him in the slot, move him around, and let him be a weapon in the downfield passing game.

Drops, perhaps more of the concentration variety, are an issue. The PFF charting data speaks for itself in that regard.

If you are studying him as a blocker, you’ll see someone who has the lateral quickness to handle responsibility in a zone-blocking scheme. Zone–heavy teams might be okay with him on the backside of such plays, as he can usually get across the face of the nearest defender and wall them off from backside pursuit. But you aren’t lining up in the i-formation behind him and running 96 or 97 Power behind him.

Conclusion: Hopkins benefits from the time we are living in, in that his type of tight end is probably still going to find a spot in the league. He can be that type of mismatch player that offensive coordinators will find a use for, and conversely the type of problem player that will keep defensive coordinators up at night. What limits him is that his is more of a projection if you are looking for a complete package at the position. His best opportunity is to stick early given what he brings as a receiver at the position, as he learns to round out the rest of his game.

Comparison: Mike Gesicki. Gesicki was used in a similar manner by Penn State, and it took a while for him to complete the picture as a tight end. But he was also a very dangerous move-type TE coming out of college, and Hopkins is similar in that regard.