3 Detroit Lions players who need to ‘prove it’ during the 2022 season

TE T.J. Hockenson

Lions fans may be shocked to see this name on a ist of ‘prove-it’ players, with back-to-back 60-catch seasons on his resume, but there are a few reasons Hockenson needs to fully showcase his skill this year.

The first has to do with his health. He has missed only nine games over his first three seasons, but he is constantly on the injury report, which generally limits his production If you have had Hockenson on your fantasy team at all, you understand the weekly injury report check-ins you needed to do to see if he was practicing or ultimately playing. The Lions need a fully healthy season from their No. 1 tight end, even with some upgrade to the depth behind him.

The injuries he has had have generally limited Hockenson’s bility to showcase the vast talent potential that many teams thought he had and that made the Lions take him as the No. 8 selection in the 2019 draft. If he hadn’t missed the final five games last year, when the Lions’ offense improved, who knows where his numbers could have landed. As it was he had 61 catches in his 12 games.

With impact players such as A.J. Brown, Diontae Johnson, DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel taken long after him, Hockenson needs to prove he can be a consistent franchise tight end the Lions can build their offense around. He doesn’t need to be Travis Kelce, but the Lions can’t afford for him to be closer to a Hunter Henry-type of  player. He’s also trying to line himself up for a nice long-term deal, which the Lions seem fully inclined to give him.