Detroit Lions: Why T.J. Hockenson will break the tight end curse

The Detroit Lions made a bold choice taking a tight end eighth overall in the draft. Why will T.J. Hockenson be the one to break the first round curse?

Prior to the 2019 NFL Draft, many analysts pointed to Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson as an ideal fit for the Detroit Lions. But considering the Lions possessed the eighth overall selection in the first round combined with their trouble draft history taking tight ends that high, it seemed unlikely the team would make that bold choice.

Yet, when Detroit’s number was called, general manager Bob Quinn and second-year head coach Matt Patricia opted to ignore the team’s draft mistakes of the past and select the player whom they believed helped them the most. And that turned out to be Hockenson.

Not hired until 2016, Quinn was not at the helm of the Lions when former first-round tight ends Brandon Pettigrew (2009) and Eric Ebron (2014) were selected in their respective drafts. But the young general manager did help end both of their careers in Motown.

Neither Pettigrew or Ebron lived up to their lofty draft status in Detroit, although the latter earned his first Pro Bowl nomination with the Indianapolis Colts last season. In fact, since 2000, there have been a total of 12 tight ends taken in the first round who were also elected to at least one Pro Bowl.

Rarer is a tight end taken in the top ten of the draft. Before Hockenson, only three other tight ends had been taken that high since 1997 (Kellen Winslow II, Vernon Davis, Ebron). And despite all three being selected to one Pro Bowl or more, none of them are seen as draft successes.

But each player should be measured by their own performance. And Hockenson has a chance to succeed where others have not, specifically as a run blocker. Here’s what Michael Manning of the football analytics website Pro Football Focus wrote about the Lions’ new rookie and how he’s different from Detroit’s other recent first-round tight ends.

"“Hockenson is one of just three tight ends since 2014 to earn a 90.0-plus overall grade, a 90.0-plus receiving grade, an 80.0-plus drop grade and a 70.0-plus run-blocking grade in their final college season … Hockenson’s ability to affect the game in multiple ways is something that Pettigrew and Ebron failed to do during their tenures in Detroit, and it should help not only Stafford but the Lions’ offense in its entirety.”"

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah called Hockenson the safest player in the draft noting both his nastiness as a run blocker (calling him one of the best blocking tight ends he’s ever evaluated) and the fact he catches everything thrown to him, famously having just two drops during his entire college career.

Unlike primary pass-catching tight ends, Hockenson has the ability to positively impact the game without catching a single pass. And that is as a blocker in the rushing attack. That makes Hockenson an ideal piece to add to new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s run-heavy scheme. And with the Lions possibly finding their next great running back in Kerryon Johnson last season, the combination should be exciting to watch.

If T.J. Hockenson is going to break the first round tight end curse in the Motor City, he’ll likely do so as the most complete tight end in the NFL. So if the Detroit Lions field a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since running back Reggie Bush back in 2013, be sure to give Hockenson his due.