Grading T.J. Hockenson's Rookie Year

Many wanted more production out of the Lions' first-round pick, but Hockenson still managed to put together a decent rookie campaign for a tight end

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

With the announcement of Lions rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson being placed on injured reserve Monday, it's probably fair to say his rookie season will go down as underwhelming. 

That's not to say there still isn't a ton of potential or that it's fair to prematurely label him as a "bust."

Detroit general manager Bob Quinn selected Hockenson No. 8 overall in this past April's NFL Draft, and expectations were sky high. 

Unfortunately, the tight end position historically takes time to develop, and it was always unlikely he would live up to the hype in his first year. 

Tight ends also don't typically go as high as Hockenson did in the draft.

The pick was no doubt a luxury, especially considering that the Lions rarely even featured him in the offense. 

Hockenson was the fourth option in terms of targets. 

Much like another former Lions tight end (Eric Ebron), it's tough to rack up stats when you aren't consistently part of the gameplan.

Many, like myself, would have gone a different route this past April, but that's no longer the debate. 

The discussion is now whether or not Hockenson is on the right trajectory in his career.

It's time to focus on where he stands in comparison to his peers. 

Yes, I know that plenty of the league's best tight ends weren't selected in the first round. 

That doesn't mean Hockenson should be compared to fifth-year pros at the position, though. 

Maybe it's more realistic to compare Hockenson's rookie year with others in their inaugural seasons.

Hockenson's rookie campaign will end with 32 catches, 367 yards and just two touchdowns in 12 games. 

That's not eye-popping, by any means. 

In terms of rookie seasons for tight ends, however, it's actually on par with many of the best players at the position today.

Let's take a look at some other notable tights ends and how they fared during their first year in the NFL.

Hockenson has averaged more yards per game among all 2019 rookies outside of former Iowa teammate and fellow first-round selection Noah Fant. 

Fant -- now with the Denver Broncos -- is averaging one more yard per game. 

With six catches of 20 or more yards, Hockenson currently sits tied at seventh-best among TEs in the category. 

The flashes of greatness are there. Further consistency from "Hock" will be key moving forward, though.

In no way am I trying to justify Hockenson's rookie campaign as a success. 

However, let's not give up on a talented player because he was drafted higher than we maybe would have liked. 

At the very least, he demonstrated plenty of potential in a Lions uniform in 2019. 

Grade for Hockenson's rookie year: C; Hockenson obviously was in a unique case given the draft capital used on him. To expect him to be a Pro Bowler right out of the gates was just setting yourself up for a letdown. It's on the Lions to scheme around a top-10 draft pick. Knowing that the position takes time to develop, I'm not worried. It just hurts to have other players drafted after him have bigger first years. Ultimately, it was an average rookie season for a very talented player at a position that requires patience.

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