Like most other people that follow the NFL Draft closely, I was surprised that Josh Allen was available with pick # 7 in the 2019 Draft. If the Jaguars would have gone in another direction, Allen would have been my preference for the Lions with pick # 8. T.J. Hockenson became my player preference after the Jags selected Allen, though a viable trade down offer would have been ideal.

All things considering, I'm happy with the way Hockenson is progressing. He earned a Pro Bowl berth in his 2nd season. His receiving contribution / performance level was Pro Bowl caliber.

Early this season, Hockenson was performing at a Pro Bowl level again, with him finally providing the caliber of run blocking that I was anticipating from him based on his play with Iowa. His transition to the NFL as a run blocker was more difficult than I anticipated. As a receiver, he was taking his game to an even higher level. The chemistry Hock was developing with Jared Goff was a huge positive.

A knee injury that Hockenson has dealing with has limited his practice time for over a month. This, combined with the Lions problematic WR situation ( Tyrrell Williams has been out since the middle of the 3rd QTR of the season opener vs. SF. with a concussion. Emerging WR Quintez Cephus suffered a broken collarbone late in the 2nd QTR in week # 5 at Minnesota ) that has become even more pronounced because of injuries, has led to Hockenson's receiving numbers being modest at best after a fast start this season. The injuries to the top 2 veteran Offensive Lineman on the team. ( C Frank Ragnow and LT Taylor Decker ) also has been a contributing factor in Hock's receiving numbers not remaining close to the level of the first two games.

If Hock is relatively healthy next season, I think that there's a good chance he will ascend to a top 3 caliber NFL TE, as the WR unit will be substantially upgraded and the Lions Offensive Line situation should be much better.

---