TJ Hockenson - 2019 NFL Draft Scouting Report

I have already tackled one underclassmen tight end from the University of Iowa in Noah Fant, so now it only feels right to tackle his teammate in Redshirt Sophomore and John Mackey Award Winner, TJ Hockenson. I took a look at his games against Wisconsin, Penn State, and Indiana from this past season.

Although both Fant and Hockenson are tight ends from the University of Iowa, their games are quite different. Where Fant is a freak who can stretch the field but may not be as refined with his technique, Hockenson is not a freak but knows how to find space in defenses and probably had the best hands on the Hawkeyes team.

Since Hockenson isn't a freak athlete, he has to use his guile to get open.

Here, he gives a very slight push with his left arm to create some separation at the top of his route, and uses that to cut away from the defender to give himself about two yards worth of space. He not only makes the catch but gains another seven yards after the catch.

But even though Hockenson isn't a freak of an athlete, the guy is definitely still an athlete.

No need to measure his vertical at the combine. It is officially one Penn State defender.

He's not just hops as he's got some speed as well.

Hockenson is able to turn a simple out route into a touchdown by not only staying on his feet on a missed tackle but barely losing speed despite getting his legs clipped. He then races down the sideline for the score.

Hockenson was also a guy who always showed great awareness during plays.

On this play, Hockenson starts in the slot on the far side of the field and his route has him break towards the near sideline, but he sees Stanley being forced to roll to the far sideline and readjusts his route to give his quarterback a different option, and ends up making a really nice catch while dealing with pass interference. Also, this throw will end up on Stanley's highlight reel next year, because he threw the ball 58 yards in the air while rolling to his weak side. Just getting this ball close to Hockenson shows some incredible arm strength.

One of my favorite things about Hockenson is how he catches the football.

He frames the ball with his hands as opposed to letting it get into his body, and keeps his thumbs together to give a tight area for the ball to come in and secure it before bringing it into his body and absorbing the hit. There is no wasted movement on his technique which is what makes him such a reliable pass catcher.

Seriously, look at these hands.

IT WAS A CATCH, DAMNIT.

Just in case you want an example of a ball that was not overturned as a catch. Here's a definite catch where he gets two feet in for good measure.

This is great extension by Hockenson where he does a great job of snatching the ball out of the air and quickly pulls it in to secure the catch.

But now it is the real reason that you came here. Let's get to the blocking highlights.

To start off, Hockenson kicks out the defensive end to create a big opening for the running back. But instead of just doing enough, Hockenson plays through the e in whistle, showing that he is a true Football Playing Jesse.

This next one is not as sexy, but it is as effective.

He starts head up and gets his hands under the defensive end's shoulder pads to turn him away from the runner while keeping his feet moving to help give a big lane to the running back. There are offensive linemen that fail this block, and Hockenson is picture perfect.

And now, the main event, although fair warning: The following clip is not suitable for children.

That is blocking porn right there. Don't be ashamed if you need to take a break to clean up after watching it.

As you can probably tell, I am a huge fan of TJ Hockenson. He blocks well, knows how to get open, and has reliable hands to make plays. He's a good, but not great athlete and that does limit his ceiling. I don't see a scenario where he is competing with Kelce, Kittle, and Ertz when it comes to receiving numbers. The most common comparison I have seen is Kittle, and there are aspects that are similar, but Kittle is a better athlete, where Hockenson is a better blocker and has shown more durability (although that last part is not yet conclusive). The best comparison that I saw was from Daniel Jeremiah who compared him to Heath Miller. He's going to be the total package at tight end, and although he won't be taking the top off defenses, he's going to be a first down machine and considering how high his floor is, he's got a very good chance to sneak into the first round, even in a loaded tight end class.

Previous Scouting Reports:
Noah Fant - Iowa Hawkeyes - Tight End

The 5 Most Important Iowa Hawkeyes Who Could Declare For The NFL Draft

The Iowa Hawkeyes somehow managed to show a tremendous amount of skill yet have an incredibly disappointing season this past year. They showed they could blow the doors off teams, but also showed that if they were in a close game, they would make that one mistake that would cost them at the worst possible time. It was so frustrating and yet I look at this team, and I would feel totally confident picking them to win the Big Ten West if everyone returned next year. The problem is there is close to a zero percent chance of that happening. I would say there are five guys who could at least consider the possibility, so let's rank them to see who Iowa most needs to come back for their success in 2019.

5. Noah Fant
I hate doing this, because Noah Fant is awesome. He came in as a true freshman, and it was like holy shit, that guy owns. The his sophomore year, he made a massive leap and set a record for touchdowns by a tight end. Even though he nearly matched those numbers this past season, it was still seen as a disappointment as he could have done so much more. Unfortunately, Iowa did not find the right fit for him, and although that seems incredibly stupid, "That's football." Since Iowa does not know how to best utilize him and (SPOILER ALERT) there is another person at this same position later in the list, I can't put him any higher than fifth on the list even though he will probably be the first guy off the board in the draft if all of these guys declared.

4. Nate Stanley
If Stanley leaves, what does Iowa have at quarterback? No freaking clue, but what Iowa needs at quarterback is not greatness but consistency. Stanley has shown far more greatness and consistency, and it leads to games like Penn State where an average performance is likely enough to get the Hawkeyes the win. There is a chance that although Iowa would be less talented at the position next year, they could still have a better record. There is also a chance that this puts Stanley way too low on the list, and there could be a massive dropoff without him. I feel like it's closer to the former than the latter so that is why he is only fourth on this list.

3. Anthony Nelson
This may seem high for Nelson as Iowa has AJ Epenesa ready to take over one starting defensive end spot and would seemingly be fine with Chauncey Golston taking over the other, but a lot of the strength of this year's defensive line has been their depth. They already need some new faces to show they can play at the interior of the defensive line, so keeping depth at defensive end is very important. With Nelson and Epenesa starting with Golston giving them a breather, the Hawkeyes would again have the best defensive end situation in the Big Ten. The defensive line has always been what makes the entire defense great at Iowa so here's to hoping that Anthony Nelson can hold off those NFL dreams for another year.

2. TJ Hockenson
So if Hockenson and Fant both go, this Iowa offense could be in some serious trouble. The tight ends made the offense go, and there was nobody I felt better about than Hockenson as he reliably got open and made the catch. He even occasionally leaped over people. So it will definitely hurt to not have those options. But when has Iowa not had a good tight end? Before Hockenson and Fant it was George Kittle, before him CJ Fiedorowicz, before him Tony Moeaki, then Brandon Myers, Scott Chandler, Dallas Clark, and Austin Wheatley. Hell, even before Ferentz got there, there was Iowa great, Scott Slutzker. I don't think I could be any more confident in Iowa finding a good option at than tight end. It's going to hurt, but there is hope that a tight end steps up, that Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette take a big step forward, and that my main man, Tyrone Tracy is the real deal.

1. Amani Hooker
Hooker was Iowa's Defensive MVP. The dude was all over the field, and I had mixed emotions when he won the award for best defensive back in the Big Ten. Like, yes, he deserves it, because the dude was phenomenal this year, but also could the Big Ten do me a favor and keep his dominance on the down low? Where Hockenson made me feel the best when Iowa threw to him, Hooker was the guy that I felt the best whether they were running toward him, passing toward him, or just letting him be anywhere near making a play, because I knew that he would. Iowa is already losing Jake Gervase, so safety depth is already at least somewhat of a question mark. Without Hooker back, it would leave a massive hole in the defense, because his versatility makes everyone around him better. For the Hawkeyes, I really hope he comes back.

That being said, with Hooker, and anyone listed above, if they can get paid, then get paid. Outside of Stanley, it's tough to see anybody significantly increasing their draft stock. And even though my heart would love to see the Hawkeyes run it back next year, my head knows that these guys have all given far more to the University of Iowa than they will ever get back, so if they can get paid, go ahead and make money. 

3 Takeaways from the Iowa / Nebraska Game

I know I'm a little late this week, but there is still likely to be over a month before Iowa's next football game, so I think it's still timely enough. Anyway, it wasn't pretty, but at least Iowa got a win over Nebraska. Here are my big takeaways.

1. Mekhi Sargent Is The Man

Iowa has been going by a running back by committee approach this entire season. Sometimes it's Ivory Kelly-Martin, sometimes it's Toren Young, and other times, it's been Mekhi Sargent. As the season has gone on, Iowa has leaned more and more heavily on Sargent. Unfortunately, IKM has been battling injuries all season long. Toren Young is a good power back but Iowa coaches have not trusted him in the passing game. Luckily, Sargent has stepped up, and against Nebraska, he stepped up in a big way. He went for 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns and had teh big game from an Iowa running back that fans have been waiting for all season. His vision, quickness, and versatility in that he can fill any role you need from a back separates him from the pack, and I expect to see him as a big part of Iowa's bowl game.

2. TJ Hockenson Is The Best Tight End For Iowa

Before I get going, let me just say that I love Noah Fant. He's a freak of an athlete and should make a team very happy if he leaves school to ply his trade in the NFL. And although Fant is the most talented tight end on the roster, TJ Hockenson is the best tight end for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He's a better blocker, he consistently finds ways to get open, and he is more sure handed. Never was this more apparent than Iowa facing a fourth and eight with less than a minute to go while in Nebraska territory. They had plenty of options, but they chose to go for it, and they chose to throw it to Hockenson. It paid off as Hockenson caught the ball and two plays later, Miguel Recinos hit a game winning field goal as time expired. Yes, they should be using Fant more, but don't let it overshadow how great TJ Hockenson has been for the Hawkeyes.

3. Let's Appreciate Our Senior Defensive Linemen

AJ Epenesa had his one "holy shit" play, and Anthony Nelson was an absolute monster against Nebraska, but let's take a step back and appreciate the contributions of Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse, two seniors who were instrumental in filling a gap for Iowa's defensive line before helping build something special by the end of their time in Iowa City. Neither guy is a future first round pick, and honestly, I'm not sure if they will even be drafted at all. 

Parker Hesse ends the year with four sacks, a solid, yet unspectacular total, but the guy hustled his ass off and made some incredible plays in the running game. He was excellent at diagnosing plays which helped him outperform his athletic measurables.

Matt Nelson had even less impressive statistics, but he filled his role as the tallest defensive tackle in Hawkeye history (not looking this up, but it sounds right). Nelson only had one sack this season, but that was not his role for this defense. He was there to take up blockers and allow others to make plays. Had he stayed at defensive end, he may have been able to put up some decent numbers as he had five sacks in his sophomore year before moving inside. That just speaks to the type of player Nelson is. He is not built like a defensive tackle, but the team needed one so he moved inside and did the dirty work. Although Iowa has guys waiting in the wings, both of these guys will be missed in 2019.

5 Takeaways from the Iowa / Penn State Game

Oh, man, I haven't yelled at my TV like that in a long time. Did I yell too much or not enough? Either way, my behavior is unlikely to change, although my wife did bring up a good point that maybe I should watch intense games inside instead of outside as my yelling may have been enough to get the cops called (although this would be a very fitting Florida Man arrest story). Alas, the Hawkeyes fell 30-24 in a total rollercoaster of a game.

Let's Talk About Dominique Dafney
He blocked a punt and tried out for the wrestling team with a double leg takedown on kickoff coverage. The West Des Moines product is not a guy that is going to have many opportunities to get love, so let's love on Dominique Dafney. Great game, DD.

LeVar Woods Does What He Wants
LeVar Woods clearly has full control of what happens on fourth downs. First, he runs a play where they may have been looking to pull off a fake when Recinos ran out wide, but they didn't, so that one gets to stay in the holster. Last, he ran a fake punt where Iowa had two quarterbacks and Peyton Mansell was the QB who got the ball. They never really showed any route running or coverage, so I have no idea what the plan is, but I really would have liked for Mansell to throw the ball up and hope for the best.

But then there was that play in the middle. They didn't try to take Penn State by surprise. They just straight up lined up the punter in shotgun, and from ten yards out, everyone knew it was going to be a pass. Colton Rastetter did a slight role to his right, then threw back towards his left and threw a perfect pass to Sam Brincks who managed to haul it in while being hit. There is absolutely no way that Ihmir Smith-Marsette makes that catch, but Sam Brincks did. I don't know why that is a play. That is not a good play at all, but then again, maybe it is? It worked, and it will likely never have to work again. God bless LeVar Woods for spending all of his free time researching trick plays, because I'm pretty sure we have a bigger playbook for our special teams than we do for our offense.

Nate Stanley's Three Step Drop
A three step drop is a great way to get the ball out quick and easily let your quarterback throw it in rhythm. Iowa has really tried to incorporate this with Nate Stanley, but the problem is that Stanley's first option never seems to be open, and then he just kind of waits there while only being about two yards behind his offensive linemen. Then it gets so cramped that he has limited vision and space which is not a great recipe for success. I'm guessing the issue is that Stanley is not able to identify the defenses as well as he needs to in order to make these type of plays work as most times, he should know presnap where that ball is going. If Iowa wants to go with a three step drop, maybe try it from shotgun to give everybody a little bit more space.

TJ Hockenson's Two Chances
TJ Hockenson had what may have been the two biggest "What if" plays in this game. The first was so painful as Iowa both called and executed a beautiful play on third and one. Nate Stanley executed a beautiful fake, and Penn State came crashing in to stop the run while Hockenson snuck behind the defense and was the most wide open any player can possibly be without evacuating the stadium. The only thing that was not executed was Stanley's throw as he horrifically overthrew him and cost Iowa an easy touchdown. That would have put Iowa up 21-7 and would have changed the complexion of the rest of the game.

Then on Iowa's final drive, Hockenson made an incredible catch while diving out of bounds. On review, it was borderline. Whatever happened to indisputable evidence? With my black and gold colored glasses, I saw it as a catch but can understand that it was close. Still, I have a hard time with that catch being overturned. TJ Hockenson did everything he could to execute on these two plays; it just wasn't meant to be.

Somehow, Iowa Still (basically) Controls Its Own Destiny
With Northwestern beating Wisconsin, it actually sets up pretty damn well for the Hawkeyes. If Iowa wins out, and Northwestern only loses to Iowa in conference play, even if Wisconsin wins out, it will leave three teams at 7-2 in the conference. With everyone going 1-1 in head-to-head matchups, Iowa should get the tiebreaker with the best overall record. So Big Ten Championship, here we come, somehow.

But yeah, that loss hurt.

5 Takeaways from the Iowa / Minnesota Game

Iowa overcame all the odds and somehow managed to win a game after a bye week. Although the final score was 48-31, that doesn't show how dominant Iowa managed to be in this game.. Here are my five takeaways from Iowa keeping Floyd of Rosedale with its proper owners.

Nate Stanley Is Improving
The most lasting memory from this game may be Nate Stanley's awful interception, but I'm going to chalk that up to a case of Nate Stanley hearing how awful Minnesota is at football and truly testing the limits of how awful they could be. It turns out they can catch an interception if you gently loft it directly into their chest. Good to know.

But the biggest takeaway is that Nate Stanley has improved leaps and bounds from last year in his ability to move within the pocket. He is seeing pressure and stepping up while keeping his eyes down the field, and it was instrumental in keeping Iowa marching down the field.

Feeling the pressure is still an issue as it led to a fumble and an errant throw, but considering the improvement that he has made in handling pressure, I certainly won't bet against him in getting a better feel for pressure. Nate Stanley is getting better, and that should make future Iowa opponents very concerned.

Trick Plays Are Fun When They Work
Could Iowa craft an entire offense out of plays where the offensive line is far away from the center? I think so. Anyway, the trick play for a TJ Hockenson touchdown was magnificent, and I enjoyed it so, so much. But I heard a lot of people complaining that it was "wasted" on Minnesota. Iowa showed they were way better than Minnesota, but that trick play meant that I could relax when Nate Stanley had a turnover, so it was totally worth it. Also, this trick play worked to perfection, and it gained four yards. It looked like if Hockenson needed to, he is getting five, maybe six yards. If we don't use that play then, when exactly are we going to find a more ideal time to use it? Just be happy and enjoy the good times, and know that LeVar Woods has at least 30 more of these.

Julius Brents...Yes Please
(Insert Heart Emoji Eyes Here) My God, Julius Brents. Minnesota tried multiple strategies against Brents yesterday. The first was to avoid him at all costs. That strategy was definitely the most effective. The second strategy was try to throw his way. That strategy led to Brents continually breaking up passes and making an incredible interception. And this is not a man who has grinded with the program and refined his skills. He is a true freshman who made his first start yesterday. Iowa has had some incredible defensive backs. Bob Sanders, the criminally underrated Jovon Johnson, and Desmond King and Josh Jackson over the last couple years. Brents showed the skills where he could be mentioned along those greats at the end of his Iowa tenure. I already love this guy.

Riley Moss - The Best Bad Debut Ever
Instead of attacking Brents, they went after another Freshman making his first start, Riley Moss. Now, anytime a white cornerback shows up, all simple football brains must immediately think, "Is this the next Jason Sehorn?" As an Iowa fan, I realized that Adam Shada was a very real possibility, and that is more what we got. Minnesota went after Moss, and they had a lot of success doing it. Even addressing the bad, it's still good to see that his fundamentals were strong and he was staying close to guys, just not quite close enough.

On the bright side, he ended up with two interceptions, and interceptions are the ultimate way to judge a good cornerback. Therefore, as much as I like Julius Brents, I must admit that Moss is twice as good.

In all seriousness, Moss played admirably, but he's not quite ready for the big time. Still, two interceptions is really freaking cool, so good for him.

Shout Out to TJ Hockenson
I just want to give a shout out to TJ Hockenson as the Iowa pass catcher that I trust the most. If I see a ball thrown near Hockenson, I have so much confidence that he can actually come down with it, where I don't have anywhere near that confidence with anybody else. Brandon Smith might be second in my completely arbitrary rankings, but let's shout out Hockenson, Iowa's other tight end, because he's a guy who knows how to create separation and catch footballs. Noah Fant may be the most talented tight end in Iowa history (I know that's a bold statement, but NFL.com currently ranked him as the sixth best prospect in the nation), but Hockenson ensures that even though Fant will be missed, it won't likely be a huge dropoff in production.