Nihilarian

Beane has balls of steel

we all knew it

They were saying the Bills were trying to trade up for Oliver.

I'll be surprised if it's not the DT. Also if they go J Williams

there goes TJ, hello Ed

Beane is cursing out the Jags about now...

Jeez, what an event. Dunno why so many fans would clog the street just to see who gets picked.

what a screwed up franchise...

If he is there...Or TJ Hockenson if he is there. What will actually happen is I think Beane will work his magic for a pass rusher (maybe Allen, Sweat?)and trade for Gerald McCoy

What the Patriots did with Gronk was add a different dimension to an already top passing offense! They found that the LBers couldn't keep up with him on routes and DBs had a difficult time tackling him. A great TE like Gronk can do things a TE can do, he can do things a WR does and he can do things an offensive lineman can do. The guy is like an OT with WR speed and hands that catch everything. We see that TJ Hockenson is already a great blocker by taking on DE's and then pushes them around for 10 yards. We see that Hock is already a great pass catcher in that he has dropped only two passes in two seasons. This last stat alone would make him invaluable to a second year, deep throwing QB. We already see that Hock has the ability to find openings in zones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTrLwZRhhBg To that last sentence, many, many NFL teams are looking at trying to find a Gronk of their own. At this point, I doubt the Bills @9 even get a shot at Hock as the Lions @8 tried to trade for Gronk last year. That is if he gets by the Jags @ 7.

From Joe B, "And in Hockenson, they are getting a player that has the potential to make an instant impact. Spending a first-round selection on a tight end used to be a bit of a non-starter for NFL teams, but it's hard to ignore how advanced Hockenson is in a couple of areas. His blocking ability is far superior to any of the 'receiving' tight ends available in this draft, which turns him into a three-down player early in his career. As a receiver, Hockenson shows poise and technique in his route-running, along with an understanding of where to find the space -- and not to mention, the athleticism to make teams pay for losing track of him. I love Hockenson as a prospect, and for Brian Daboll's offensive scheme, I think he's a perfect fit and could quickly become the best tight end in the division now that Rob Gronkowski has retired." https://www.wkbw.com/sports/bills/joe-b-2019-nfl-mock-draft-no-6

Great read, thanks for posting.

Hughes is so disruptive I'd hate to see him go, same with Lorax. My take is the Bills will draft a pass rusher @#9 for sure.

I find it humorous that some Bills fans don't like the idea of a TE with the first pick at #9. I think the same could be said for drafting an offensive guard at that position too. What's great is we Bills fans have absolutely no say in who gets drafted and that is a good thing otherwise the Bills would have given up the farm to move up to the #2 spot last year to draft Josh Rosen. Like when the Bills drafted Josh Allen, Bills fans should be prepared to get behind the pick should the Bills draft TJ Hockenson! Or a LT and (god forbid) move him to offensive guard at #9. Personally, I think the Bills will do their best to find a pass rusher with that #9 pick. Could be DK Metcalf as the Bills did have interest in trading for Antonio Brown. Could be a DT. Or they could trade back and get more than one of those needs. Whoever it is, I'll get behind it.

Historic Success Chart The numbers show us the following outline for finding consistent starters: 1st Round - OL (83%) LB (70%) TE (67%) DB (64%) QB (63%) WR (58%) RB (58%) DL (58%) 2nd Round - OL (70%) LB (55%) TE (50%) WR (49%) DB (46%) QB (27%) DL (26%) RB (25%) 3rd Round - OL (40%) TE (39%) LB (34%) DL (27%) WR (25%) DB (24%) QB (17%) RB (16%) 4th Round - DL (37%) TE (33%) OL (29%) LB (16%) WR(12%) DB (11%) RB (11%) QB (8%) 5th Round - TE (32%) DB (17%) WR (16%) OL (16%) DL (13%) RB (9%) LB (4%) QB (0%) 6th Round - TE (26%) OL (16%) DL (13%) WR (9%) DB (8%) RB (6%) LB (5%) QB (0%) 7th Round - DB (11%) OL (9%) QB (6%) WR (5%) DL (3%) LB (2%) RB (0%) TE (0%) https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2015/2/20/8072877/what-the-statistics-tell-us-about-the-draft-by-round If you want a safe first round pick, OL (83%), LB (70%) and TE (67%) have the lowest "bust" rates. TEs have a pretty reasonable chance of turning out in most rounds.

Aside from the fact that Josh Allen was a rookie last season and injured for 5 games. The 2018 Buffalo Bills threw deep more often than any other NFL team (percentage wise) and part of the problem was that the Bills were so bad on offense was the drop percentage by Bills receivers! Between Zay Jones and Kelvin Benjamin they missed on 85 targets. While new receiver John Brown 43.3 catch% and Zay Jones 54.9 catch%, Robert Foster 61.4 catch% will stretch defenses and you have McCoy 73.9 catch%, Beasley 74.7 catch% for the underneath to mid range stuff. The Bills don't have a reliable tight end like Gronk, Ertz, Kelce that will help a young QB further develop and catch those mid to deep passes. Sure, Beasley and Shady will help in the short pass game but when the team goes for a two tight end look and the defense thinks "stop the run" now you have a TE that can slip a block and make a play. A position that can block DE's, can outrun LBers and be difficult for DB's to tackle on an elite level has been a position of need for the Buffalo Bills in forever. Charles Clay was supposed to be that player....21 receptions for 184 yards with a 58.3 catch% last season. Dunno about you, but I would love to have a TE in Buffalo who only dropped two passes the last two seasons and who could be the go to guy in a pass heavy offense.

If you read about OJ Howard you would have seen that many thought he was "underutilized" at Alabama! So what a lot of scouts saw was what they thought/ projected he could do in the NFL. First off, as a rookie OJ went to an NFL offense that was ranked 18 in points, 9th in yards with a troubled QB throwing that went 3-10 in 2017. Not only that, OJ Howard has ended up on injured reserve in his two seasons in the NFL 14 game starts in 2017, 8 game starts in 2018. Kind of difficult to properly evaluate a player when has been seriously injured in his only two seasons. Not every NFL player realizes their potential as TE Eric Ebron also fell on his face in Detroit until he went to Indy and has Andrew Luck throwing his way last season. Different scheme? Anyway, I never banged the table for OJ Howard and I get the comparison that when fans see a draft failure they think it will apply to the next guy at that position. There is also a steep learning curve for tight ends in the NFL and sometimes it takes time. Watch the college game film on both players and you will see for yourself the difference between the two players. Hock is an unreal blocker and only two dropped passes in two seasons! Jeez, could the Bills use a receiver that catches nearly everything thrown his way? All I saw last season in Buffalo was drop after drop by most Bills receivers. Yes, I'm a fan and I like Hockenson just like i liked Josh Allen last season when so many Bills fans were discrediting him like they are with Hock. The difference is that while the Bills could really use a Gronkowski type TE, they could also use a #1 WR, a star LT, a DT, a pass rusher. This year isn't like last season where they were looking for the face of the franchise QB.

The Buffalo Bills went out and drafted their franchise QB before the offensive line was worth a damn! My lord that 2018 Buffalo Bills O line was one of the worst the last two decades! Then, they only had one good player on that line out of five and his play went south due to such inferior talent next to him. Ever hear the phrase, "you strike while the fire is hot"? The Bills did that last year with the QB because the Bills FO saw their future franchise QB in a very rich QB draft. The prospects this year pale in comparison. This year the draft looks to have a "Tony Gonzalez" type TE. Now, top tight ends aren't usually considered first round material...unless of course the scouts grade them as such! Gonzalez was was graded as a first round pick back in 1997 and KC decided to trade from #18 to #13 and draft him. This year the draft has a possible three tight ends graded in the first round, TJ Hockenson, Irv Smith and Noah Fant. The thing is, Hock isn't just graded as a first rounder! He has been graded as a top 10 pick by the majority of the media/ex-scouts. Look at the people grading this player, Gil Brandt, Has Hock as the 6th best player in the draft. Todd McShay has Hock going #7 to the Jags. Ex-scout for several NFL teams Daniel Jeremiah compares Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson to former TV broadcaster Jason Witten and a top 10 pick. Ex-Buffalo Bill, ex-NFL scout NFL.com Analyst Bucky Brooks lists Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson is one of the "gold jacket" prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft class. A top ten pick. Walter Football's Charlie Campbell compares Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson to Philadelphia Eagles TE Zack Ertz. The Athletic's Dane Brugler believes Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson has a "complete skill set." Mel Kiper sent Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson to the Lions at No. 8 overall I could go on and on with the scouts. The point here is that not many tight ends have ever been graded this high...ever! for several reasons. Like Josh Allen and watching him play at Wyoming, it was like watching a eighth graders playing against a senior. Hock was the same way. TJ Hockenson doesn't just block people, he "rag dolls" them! He pancakes them! He is an elite blocker. Hock doesn't just "catch" footballs...he catches everything! In his two seasons at Iowa he dropped only two passes. Last season he dropped one out of 49 passes. Some of you can go on and on whining about no tight end is first round worthy... and yet there is an exception to everything. I can recall before last years draft 98% of this board hated the idea of drafting Josh Allen and most wanted Josh Rosen. So much so that I kept reading that the Bills FO should give up the farm in 2018 (meaning the majority of the early draft picks) to trade up with the NY Giants at #2 and ahead of the Jets at #3 to draft Josh Rosen. Some even wanted to give up this years first rounder too. Just goes to show...

That article is irrelevant as most of the teams with top tight ends are also top offensive teams. Now all NFL teams are looking to find one of those top tight ends for their offense. Zack Ertz Eagles 116 receptions, the #2 receiver in 2018, playoffs! Travis Kelce 103 receptions Kansas City, playoffs Gronk, Patriots, playoffs, super bowl winners George Kittle, SF, 88 receptions for 1377 yards Austin Hooper, Falcons 71 receptions Jared Cook, Raiders, 68 receptions Eric Ebron, Colts, 66 receptions, playoffs Teams have discovered what the Patriots have known for years about having a top pass catching TE. What happened in the past is in the past. I see three tight ends going in the first round this year. Hock, Noah Fant and Irv Smith.

Great to hear as the Chiefs overpaid for Clark and I was hoping the Bills would go in a different direction.

I agree. From the cover 1 link I posted, https://www.cover1.net/buffalo-bills-2019-nfl-draft-first-round-pick-predictions/2/ "Drafting Hockenson would give Josh Allen another weapon, one that closely resembles another tight end that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has coached in Rob Gronkowski. The junior tight end has the ability to be a factor in the run and pass game, which Beane and the staff will love. He’s a big, athletic player who can create holes at the point of attack or be a threat down the seam like Gronk was. He is as reliable as they come as a receiver, only dropping two passes his entire career, and Allen could use that type of crutch early in his career. Beane and McDermott saw firsthand what an all-around tight end can do for a young QB; they had Cam Newton paired with Greg Olsen in Carolina. More importantly, Hockenson possesses the grit and “DNA” this regime loves. While most, including me, believe taking a tight end in the top ten is typically a mistake, Hockenson’s value to this team will help their young quarterback and could take Daboll’s offense to new heights." Josh Allen threw deep more then any other NFL QB past season (percentage wise) and while John Brown caught 43.3 percent of his passes while in Baltimore last year (97 targets, 42 receptions) Zay Jones had a 54.9 catch percentage, Robert Foster had a 61.4 catch percentage. I would love to see a receiver like Hock that only dropped two passes his entire college career in a Bills uni ...being that threat for Buffalo that drives defensive coordinators insane like Gronk used to do.

I'm not here to force my will on anyone as I just want to point out some observations. Just like I did last year pre draft with Josh Allen...as most fans here hated that choice. One of the things that bothered me the most about the Bills last season was the top two Buffalo Bills receiving targets who had the dropsies all season. I couldn't figure out why either one of these two players were constantly targeted. 2018 Buffalo Bills leading receiver target, yards wise, Zay Jones 102 pass targets, 56 receptions for a 54.9 catch percentage. Yikes! Second in targets was Kelvin Benjamin, 62 targets, 23 receptions for a 37.1 catch percentage. 85 passes, really? Then you look at TJ Hockenson who dropped a total of only two passes his entire two year career at Iowa. https://www.cover1.net/buffalo-bills-2019-nfl-draft-first-round-pick-predictions/2/ That article from another thread gives some insight into who the Buffalo Bills could be looking at @ #9. Chris Trapasso calls Hockenson a destroyer of worlds, https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2019-nfl-draft-iowas-t-j-hockenson-is-destroyer-of-worlds-as-a-blocker-dynamic-pass-catcher/ NFL.com Analyst Bucky Brooks lists Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson is one of the "gold jacket" prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft class. https://www.rotoworld.com/college-football/nfl-draft/player/39502/tj-hockenson Another thing, I wouldn't be surprised if Hock is gone before #9 to the Jags or Lions. I also wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots attempt to trade up to draft the kid.

Good stuff, thanks for posting!

I think Bills fans just don't get how a tight end can be graded so highly by so many as just about every site I look at has Hock as a top ten prospect and most have him in the top six. The reason for this high grade is because he doesn't just block people...he pancakes them or treats them like rag dolls. He is an elite blocker! Just like what made Josh Allen stand out so much was because it was like watching a man play against boys or like a eighth graders playing against a senior. Then, the kid catches everything thrown his way...as he dropped only one pass out of 49. This alone would would make him special in Buffalo as Clay only caught 58% of the passes thrown his way. Just to give a comparison his teammate at Iowa, Noah Fant dropped 15%. Like Hockenson, Gronk was graded as the best TE in the draft. However, even if he had no red flags due to injury he wouldn't have graded as a top ten pick. Those red flags were considerable as he he missed three games in 2008 due to back problems and missed the entire 2009 season due to back surgery. Some teams didn't even have him on their boards due to durability concerns. The Patriots also hedged their bets by drafting Aaron Hernandez in the same draft and his issues were failing up to five drug tests at Florida. He wasn't considered a generational talent at his position like some think TJ Hockenson is... https://www.milehighreport.com/2019/3/25/18278845/2019-nfl-scouting-report-tj-hockenson

I think he had them mixed up. Fant is faster in the 40 with a 4.50 and Hock is a 4.70 and the latter is much more physical because is so much the better blocker. He is being refereed to by scouts at NFL.com as a world destroyer and another stated he will be gold jacket worthy. Hock 6'5'' 251 Fant 6'4'' 249 The biggest difference is that Hock has a 6.35 grade which lists him as the 5th best overall player in this years draft and Fant is graded at #38 just behind Irv Smith. Gronk went in the 2nd round due to back problems as he missed the entire 2009 season due to back surgery and yet still entered the draft. TJ Hockenson is graded much, much higher then Gronk who was considered a late first round, second round pick.