When the Minnesota Vikings made the blockbuster trade for tight end T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline in 2022, the idea was to acquire a top-five player at a position that is difficult to develop. They struck gold and Hockenson made an impact immediately.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler took time to ask multiple scouts, executives and coaches across the National Football League their top tight ends and Hockenson had zero consensus. He finished the ranking at fifth overall, but he ranked as high as fourth and at least one person had Hockenson outside of the top 10.
Hockenson makes his top-five debut despite a severe injury complicating his 2024 outlook.
The Vikings could sit Hockenson for the early part of the season due to his recovery from a torn ACL and MCL suffered on a big hit in Week 16.
Hockenson had posted career highs in catches (95) and yards (960) before the injury.
"His zone instincts are elite, the ability to manipulate areas and get friendly to the QB," said an NFL coordinator on what separates Hockenson.
That he moved up a spot despite his injury is a testament to his work.
"His ability to win on choice routes in level two and create leverage vs. linebackers or defensive backs," the NFL coordinator continued. "He can play with power vs. smaller guys and with more finesse vs. bigger guys. He can play across the formation and you have to respect him as an all-around tight end because he can and will block."
The discussion about choice routes is what makes Hockenson special. Kirk Cousins and Hockenson had an elite chemistry on those and they became lethal in all scenarios. Whenever the Vikings needed a key third down, Hockenson on a choice route was the way they attacked the defense.
What else was intriguing was seeing Sam LaPorta one spot ahead of Hockenson. After one season where LaPorta was schemed open consistently by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, is he really the fourth-best tight end in the NFL? For my money, he's not better than Hockenson.
The Vikings having the number one receiver and the fifth-ranked tight end is great for J.J. McCarthy once he takes over.
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