I heard Matt Ryan saying the Falcons need to use Austin Hooper more. Sounds good to me. When they throw to him, good things tend to happen.
Ryan went 71 of 88 when passing to Hooper last year. That’s a catch rate of almost 81 percent. I don’t have the complete all-time numbers, but I think that’s the best ever by a tight end.
In the past 10 years, only 19 other tight ends have caught at least 75 percent of the passes thrown their way (almost tight ends with at least 50 targets).
I’m not arguing, by the way, that the catch rate is the most important stat. All catches are not created equal. It’s a lot easier to be a check-down option, catching a bunch of 8-yard balls, rather than trying to run downfield routes that actually do some damage. Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz and Jimmy Graham have been among the best tight ends of the last 10 years, and none appear in the top 20 of the list below.
Four of the top 5 tight ends on the catch-rate list averaged under 10 yards per catch – they’re tending to catch easier balls.
I am not suggesting that Hooper will ever evolve into a Gronkowski-Ertz-Graham type threat.
However, he’s been coming along nicely, successfully cashing in his opportunities. They could/should reasonably start using him more.
I haven’t stacked a board yet, but I expect Hooper will among my top-10 tight ends.
| TIGHT ENDS, CATCH RATES (last 10 years) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Pct |
| 2018 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 88 | 71 | 660 | 9.3 | 4 | 80.7% |
| 2016 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 75 | 59 | 584 | 9.9 | 5 | 78.7% |
| 2014 | Jermaine Gresham, Cin. | 79 | 62 | 460 | 7.4 | 5 | 78.5% |
| 2009 | Heath Miller, Pitt. | 97 | 76 | 789 | 10.4 | 6 | 78.4% |
| 2018 | Kyle Rudolph, Min. | 82 | 64 | 634 | 9.9 | 4 | 78.0% |
| 2009 | Jermichael Finley, G.B. | 71 | 55 | 676 | 12.3 | 5 | 77.5% |
| 2017 | Benjamin Watson, Balt. | 79 | 61 | 522 | 8.6 | 4 | 77.2% |
| 2014 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 87 | 67 | 862 | 12.9 | 5 | 77.0% |
| 2014 | Jordan Reed, Wash. | 65 | 50 | 465 | 9.3 | 0 | 76.9% |
| 2010 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 65 | 50 | 782 | 15.6 | 10 | 76.9% |
| 2015 | Jordan Reed, Wash. | 114 | 87 | 952 | 10.9 | 11 | 76.3% |
| 2009 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 124 | 94 | 1,030 | 11.0 | 2 | 75.8% |
| 2009 | Dallas Clark, Ind. | 132 | 100 | 1,106 | 11.1 | 10 | 75.8% |
| 2017 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 65 | 49 | 526 | 10.7 | 3 | 75.4% |
| 2016 | Martellus Bennett, N.E. | 73 | 55 | 701 | 12.7 | 7 | 75.3% |
| 2012 | Brandon Myers, Oak. | 105 | 79 | 806 | 10.2 | 4 | 75.2% |
| 2012 | Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | 124 | 93 | 930 | 10.0 | 8 | 75.0% |
| 2014 | Heath Miller, Pitt. | 88 | 66 | 761 | 11.5 | 3 | 75.0% |
| 2013 | Jordan Reed, Wash. | 60 | 45 | 499 | 11.1 | 3 | 75.0% |
| 2014 | Niles Paul, Wash. | 52 | 39 | 507 | 13.0 | 1 | 75.0% |
| 2016 | Vernon Davis, Wash. | 59 | 44 | 583 | 13.3 | 2 | 74.6% |
| 2018 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | 156 | 116 | 1,163 | 10.0 | 8 | 74.4% |
| 2013 | Heath Miller, Pitt. | 78 | 58 | 593 | 10.2 | 1 | 74.4% |
| 2012 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 148 | 110 | 1,039 | 9.4 | 3 | 74.3% |
| 2016 | Jordan Reed, Wash. | 89 | 66 | 686 | 10.4 | 6 | 74.2% |
| 2017 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 108 | 80 | 690 | 8.6 | 4 | 74.1% |
| 2015 | Heath Miller, Pitt. | 81 | 60 | 535 | 8.9 | 2 | 74.1% |
| 2015 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 104 | 77 | 713 | 9.3 | 3 | 74.0% |
| 2016 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | 106 | 78 | 816 | 10.5 | 4 | 73.6% |
| 2010 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 128 | 94 | 1,002 | 10.7 | 9 | 73.4% |
| 2016 | Zach Miller, Chi. | 64 | 47 | 486 | 10.3 | 4 | 73.4% |
| 2015 | Jacob Tamme, Atl. | 81 | 59 | 657 | 11.1 | 1 | 72.8% |
| 2011 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 88 | 64 | 778 | 12.2 | 7 | 72.7% |
| 2016 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 117 | 85 | 1,125 | 13.2 | 4 | 72.6% |
| 2016 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 95 | 69 | 673 | 9.8 | 3 | 72.6% |
| 2011 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 124 | 90 | 1,327 | 14.7 | 17 | 72.6% |
| 2017 | Hunter Henry, LAC | 62 | 45 | 579 | 12.9 | 4 | 72.6% |
| 2017 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 87 | 63 | 560 | 8.9 | 5 | 72.4% |
| 2013 | Julius Thomas, Den. | 90 | 65 | 788 | 12.1 | 12 | 72.2% |
| 2010 | Jacob Tamme, Ind. | 93 | 67 | 631 | 9.4 | 4 | 72.0% |
—Ian Allan