The Lions have placed T.J. Hockenson on injured reserve, ending a frustrating rookie season. He started the season with a huge game at Arizona – 131 yards and a touchdown – and that was about it. He averaged 24 yards in his final 11 games, with one touchdown.
It’s not as if the Lions didn’t try to use him. Hockenson has seen 59 targets – only nine tight ends saw more. But he caught only 32 of those throws, and that was with capable Matthew Stafford as his quarterback most of the year.
In the last four years, 95 tight ends have seen at least 50 targets. Only three finished with lesser catch rates.
I’m not giving up on Hockenson. I believe he’ll come around and probably develop into a top-10 tight end. But part of me wonders if that’s just “first rounditis” – a player is selected with a top-10 pick, so everyone just assume he’ll be great until it’s clear that he’s not.
I’ve listed the 95 tight ends with at least 50 targets below. I will not that three of the players around Hockenson are all rookies – David Njoku, Evan Engram and Noah Fant (also a rookie, and a teammate of Hockenson’s at Iowa). I haven’t given up on any of these guys.
In the last four years, only three other tight ends have caught fewer than 57 percent of the balls thrown their way, and none of them lasted much longer with those teams – Seth Devalve, Ricky Seals-Jones and Stephen Anderson.
Hockenson got hurt in the final minutes of the Thanksgiving Day game against the Bears.
| TIGHT ENDS, CATCH PERCENTAGES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | No | Yds | TD | Pct. |
| 2019 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 67 | 56 | 608 | 6 | 83.6% |
| 2018 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 88 | 71 | 660 | 4 | 80.7% |
| 2019 | George Kittle, S.F. | 67 | 54 | 687 | 3 | 80.6% |
| 2016 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 75 | 59 | 584 | 5 | 78.7% |
| 2018 | Kyle Rudolph, Min. | 82 | 64 | 634 | 4 | 78.0% |
| 2017 | Benjamin Watson, Balt. | 79 | 61 | 522 | 4 | 77.2% |
| 2019 | Darren Waller, Oak. | 87 | 66 | 807 | 3 | 75.9% |
| 2017 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 65 | 49 | 526 | 3 | 75.4% |
| 2016 | Martellus Bennett, N.E. | 73 | 55 | 701 | 7 | 75.3% |
| 2019 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 64 | 48 | 418 | 3 | 75.0% |
| 2016 | Vernon Davis, Wash. | 59 | 44 | 583 | 2 | 74.6% |
| 2018 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | 156 | 116 | 1163 | 8 | 74.4% |
| 2016 | Jordan Reed, Wash. | 89 | 66 | 686 | 6 | 74.2% |
| 2017 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 108 | 80 | 690 | 4 | 74.1% |
| 2016 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | 106 | 78 | 816 | 4 | 73.6% |
| 2016 | Zach Miller, Chi. | 64 | 47 | 486 | 4 | 73.4% |
| 2016 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 117 | 85 | 1125 | 4 | 72.6% |
| 2016 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 95 | 69 | 673 | 3 | 72.6% |
| 2017 | Hunter Henry, LAC | 62 | 45 | 579 | 4 | 72.6% |
| 2017 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 87 | 63 | 560 | 5 | 72.4% |
| 2019 | Hunter Henry, LAC | 57 | 41 | 497 | 3 | 71.9% |
| 2016 | Eric Ebron, Det. | 85 | 61 | 711 | 1 | 71.8% |
| 2016 | Dennis Pitta, Balt. | 121 | 86 | 729 | 2 | 71.1% |
| 2018 | Trey Burton, Chi. | 76 | 54 | 569 | 6 | 71.1% |
| 2017 | Kyle Rudolph, Minn. | 81 | 57 | 532 | 8 | 70.4% |
| 2016 | Cameron Brate, T.B. | 81 | 57 | 660 | 8 | 70.4% |
| 2018 | Evan Engram, NYG | 64 | 45 | 577 | 3 | 70.3% |
| 2019 | Dallas Goedert, Phil. | 53 | 37 | 355 | 4 | 69.8% |
| 2018 | Chris Herndon, NYJ | 56 | 39 | 502 | 4 | 69.6% |
| 2018 | Vance McDonald, Pitt. | 72 | 50 | 610 | 4 | 69.4% |
| 2018 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 150 | 103 | 1336 | 10 | 68.7% |
| 2016 | Will Tye, NYG | 70 | 48 | 395 | 1 | 68.6% |
| 2016 | Jimmy Graham, Sea. | 95 | 65 | 923 | 6 | 68.4% |
| 2017 | George Kittle, S.F. | 63 | 43 | 515 | 2 | 68.3% |
| 2017 | Jesse James, Pitt. | 63 | 43 | 372 | 3 | 68.3% |
| 2017 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 122 | 83 | 1038 | 8 | 68.0% |
| 2019 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 100 | 68 | 923 | 4 | 68.0% |
| 2018 | Mark Andrews, Balt. | 50 | 34 | 552 | 3 | 68.0% |
| 2016 | Hunter Henry, S.D. | 53 | 36 | 478 | 8 | 67.9% |
| 2019 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 53 | 36 | 377 | 4 | 67.9% |
| 2017 | Tyler Kroft, Cin. | 62 | 42 | 404 | 7 | 67.7% |
| 2019 | Greg Olsen, Car. | 71 | 48 | 552 | 2 | 67.6% |
| 2017 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ | 74 | 50 | 357 | 3 | 67.6% |
| 2016 | Ryan Griffin, Hou. | 74 | 50 | 442 | 2 | 67.6% |
| 2018 | Jared Cook, Oak. | 101 | 68 | 896 | 6 | 67.3% |
| 2016 | Dwayne Allen, Ind. | 52 | 35 | 406 | 6 | 67.3% |
| 2017 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | 110 | 74 | 824 | 8 | 67.3% |
| 2018 | C.J. Uzomah, Cin. | 64 | 43 | 439 | 3 | 67.2% |
| 2019 | Mark Andrews, Balt. | 79 | 53 | 693 | 7 | 67.1% |
| 2016 | Gary Barnidge, Clev. | 82 | 55 | 612 | 2 | 67.1% |
| 2017 | Delanie Walker, Tenn. | 111 | 74 | 807 | 3 | 66.7% |
| 2017 | Charles Clay, Buff. | 74 | 49 | 558 | 2 | 66.2% |
| 2017 | Julius Thomas, Mia. | 62 | 41 | 388 | 3 | 66.1% |
| 2019 | Zach Ertz, Phi. | 106 | 70 | 736 | 3 | 66.0% |
| 2018 | Gerald Everett, LAR | 50 | 33 | 320 | 3 | 66.0% |
| 2017 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 105 | 69 | 1084 | 8 | 65.7% |
| 2016 | Charles Clay, Buff. | 87 | 57 | 552 | 4 | 65.5% |
| 2018 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 72 | 47 | 682 | 3 | 65.3% |
| 2016 | Jesse James, Pitt. | 60 | 39 | 338 | 3 | 65.0% |
| 2018 | George Kittle, S.F. | 136 | 88 | 1377 | 5 | 64.7% |
| 2019 | Evan Engram, NYG | 68 | 44 | 467 | 3 | 64.7% |
| 2018 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 84 | 54 | 558 | 2 | 64.3% |
| 2016 | Delanie Walker, Tenn. | 102 | 65 | 800 | 7 | 63.7% |
| 2018 | David Njoku, Clev. | 88 | 56 | 639 | 4 | 63.6% |
| 2016 | Clive Walford, Oak. | 52 | 33 | 359 | 3 | 63.5% |
| 2019 | Mike Gesicki, Mia. | 57 | 36 | 401 | 2 | 63.2% |
| 2016 | Kyle Rudolph, Minn. | 132 | 83 | 840 | 7 | 62.9% |
| 2017 | Jared Cook, Oak. | 86 | 54 | 688 | 2 | 62.8% |
| 2019 | Gerald Everett, LAR | 59 | 37 | 408 | 2 | 62.7% |
| 2017 | Cameron Brate, T.B. | 77 | 48 | 591 | 6 | 62.3% |
| 2017 | Vernon Davis, Was. | 69 | 43 | 648 | 3 | 62.3% |
| 2016 | Greg Olsen, Car. | 129 | 80 | 1073 | 3 | 62.0% |
| 2018 | Jimmy Graham, G.B. | 89 | 55 | 636 | 2 | 61.8% |
| 2016 | Coby Fleener, N.O. | 81 | 50 | 631 | 3 | 61.7% |
| 2016 | Trey Burton, Phil. | 60 | 37 | 327 | 1 | 61.7% |
| 2017 | Eric Ebron, Det. | 86 | 53 | 574 | 4 | 61.6% |
| 2016 | C.J. Fiedorowicz, Hou. | 89 | 54 | 559 | 4 | 60.7% |
| 2016 | Jermaine Gresham, Ariz. | 61 | 37 | 391 | 2 | 60.7% |
| 2019 | Jared Cook, N.O. | 53 | 32 | 459 | 4 | 60.4% |
| 2018 | Eric Ebron, Ind. | 110 | 66 | 750 | 13 | 60.0% |
| 2019 | Eric Ebron, Ind. | 52 | 31 | 375 | 3 | 59.6% |
| 2017 | Jimmy Graham, Sea. | 96 | 57 | 520 | 10 | 59.4% |
| 2016 | Jared Cook, G.B. | 51 | 30 | 377 | 1 | 58.8% |
| 2016 | Julius Thomas, Jac. | 51 | 30 | 281 | 4 | 58.8% |
| 2016 | Garrett Celek, S.F. | 50 | 29 | 350 | 3 | 58.0% |
| 2017 | Antonio Gates, LAC | 52 | 30 | 316 | 3 | 57.7% |
| 2016 | Lance Kendricks, L.A. | 87 | 50 | 499 | 2 | 57.5% |
| 2016 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 93 | 53 | 548 | 7 | 57.0% |
| 2017 | Seth Devalve, Clev. | 58 | 33 | 395 | 1 | 56.9% |
| 2019 | Noah Fant, Den. | 55 | 31 | 379 | 2 | 56.4% |
| 2017 | Evan Engram, NYG | 115 | 64 | 722 | 6 | 55.7% |
| 2019 | T.J. Hockenson, Det. | 59 | 32 | 367 | 2 | 54.2% |
| 2017 | David Njoku, Clev. | 60 | 32 | 386 | 4 | 53.3% |
| 2018 | Ricky Seals-Jones, Ariz. | 69 | 34 | 343 | 1 | 49.3% |
| 2017 | Stephen Anderson, Hou. | 52 | 25 | 342 | 1 | 48.1% |
—Ian Allan