T.J. Hockenson with the Detroit Lions, 2019
With the Detroit Lions, 2019. Photo: Fox Sports, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tight end, Iowa, 2016–⁠18

T.J. Hockenson

Number
No. 38
Height
6′5″
Weight
250 lb
Class (2018)
Sophomore
Hometown
Chariton, IA
Born
Jul 3, 1997, in Chariton, Iowa

Wikipedia readers: about 5,885 a month over the past year

T.J. Hockenson played tight end at Iowa (2016–⁠18). He won the 2018 John Mackey Award. The Detroit Lions took Hockenson in the first round, No. 8 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
750
Receiving yards, 2018 (Iowa, 9–⁠4)
Drafted
No. 8
Overall, 2019 NFL Draft (Detroit Lions)

Career highs

7catches, career highvs. Northwestern, 2018115receiving yards, career highvs. Wisconsin, 20182receiving touchdowns, career highthree times; last at Illinois, 2018

Honors

All-America: AFCA 2018; USA Today 2018

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2017Iowa2432013.3324
2018Iowa4975015.3654
Career731,07014.7954

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2016Iowa38TERS
2017Iowa38TEFr.
2018Iowa38TESo.6′5″250

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2017Iowa301.3499th (n=507)0.5240.35%
2018Iowa651.0397th (n=497)0.5366.87%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2018 Iowa 13 games, 49 catches, 750 yards, 6 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 1vs.Northern IllinoisW 33–⁠7464024–
Sep 8vs.Iowa StateW 13–⁠363309–
Sep 15vs.Northern IowaW 38–⁠1421608–
Sep 22vs.WisconsinL 17–⁠283115046–
Oct 6atMinnesotaW 48–⁠313491304
Oct 13atIndianaW 42–⁠164107254–
Oct 20vs.MarylandW 23–⁠0330016–
Oct 27atPenn StateL 24–⁠30363032–
Nov 3atPurdueL 36–⁠38439113–
Nov 10vs.NorthwesternL 10–⁠14789037–
Nov 17atIllinoisW 63–⁠0248237–
Nov 23vs.NebraskaW 31–⁠28554025–
Jan 1 ✦vs.Mississippi StateW 27–⁠22343022–
2017 Iowa 10 games, 24 catches, 320 yards, 3 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 9atIowa StateW 44–⁠41241024–
Sep 16vs.North TexasW 31–⁠14329112–
Sep 30atMichigan StateL 10–⁠17346022–
Oct 7vs.IllinoisW 45–⁠16241024–
Oct 21atNorthwesternL 10–⁠1721809–
Oct 28vs.MinnesotaW 17–⁠10226022–
Nov 4vs.Ohio StateW 55–⁠24571224–
Nov 11atWisconsinL 14–⁠381606–
Nov 18vs.PurdueL 15–⁠24333016–
Dec 27 ✦vs.Boston CollegeW 27–⁠201909–

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2019
Height6′4¾″
Weight251 lb
Arm length32¼″
Hand size9½″
Wingspan77⅞″W
40-yard dash4.70 s
10-yard split1.64 sW
Vertical jump37½″
Broad jump10′3″
Bench press17 reps
3-cone drill7.02 s
20-yard shuttle4.18 s

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

8 seasons, 102 games with a stat; latest team: Minnesota Vikings.

Pro Bowls: 2 (2020, 2022)

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2019Detroit Lions12323672
2020Detroit Lions16677236
2021Detroit Lions12615834
2022Minnesota Vikings17869146
2023Minnesota Vikings15959605
2024Minnesota Vikings10414550
2025Minnesota Vikings15514383
2026 (so far)Minnesota Vikings5232021
NFL career1024564,64227

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat. Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams by NFL season: rosters and honors, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

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