Detroit Lions: One week later the T.J. Hockenson debate still rages on

What Bob Quinn acquired in the draft, in the form of T.J. Hockenson, is a very different commodity than Eric Ebron. A very different skill set that should yield very different results and ultimately have fans very happy with this pick.

T.J. Hockenson is a very different prospect than Ebron. He is a complete player at a position that was lifeless for the Lions last season and one of the contributing factors not only to their poor season but also to Matthew Stafford‘s poor season.

The tight end position is interesting. It will go without a lot of attention if you have a good one, but if there is a weakness at the position, you can’t help but notice everything that is going wrong.

T.J. Hockenson will be a different animal than Eric Ebron. The former walk-on at Iowa is a focused player who believes in hard work, is the complete package, which is rare these days, and will provide everything in the passing game that Ebron failed to bring to Detroit.

Now I, like many fans, was eager to see the Lions select Ed Oliver when they were on the clock with their first-round pick last week. Oliver is a versatile player who could contribute to Matt Patricia’s defense immediately. Except here’s the kicker, despite some comparisons to Aaron Donald, he’s not Aaron Donald.

I really think Oliver will be a very good player, but like many of the experts, I don’t expect him to become the transcendent player that Donald has become. Therefore while he may have been my preference at the time, it doesn’t sting the way losing Donald did back in 2014.

Not to mention that the Lions defensive line is fast becoming a strength. This makes for a very different situation than back in 2014 when after the season Suh left and the defense collapsed.

The other thing fans should bear in mind is the Lions have most likely selected the safest player in the whole 2019 draft. Hockenson is an underrated athlete that did nothing but perform to a high standard of play. Except in the big game where he played even better.

Every athlete in every sport is a risk to become a bust. Hockenson is no different, but the odds are considerably against that happening. A player that has the entire skill set, believes that nothing is handed to them and works hard every day is the type of player that excels.

Will Hockenson be the next dominant tight end in the NFL? Maybe or maybe not, but the chances are a virtual lock that he will be very good at least.

Was the pick sexy? Not very. Was the pick popular? Again, not all that much. Was the pick a good one? Absolutely. The Lions now have a reliable blocker who will help the ground game immediately if not sooner, with a very reliable pair of hands that dropped only one pass last year at Iowa.

This may not have been the pick that every fan wanted, but given just a little time, because I think this kid is going to develop faster than the usual learning curve, we might all be very pleasantly surprised and pleased with T.J. Hockenson.