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Denver Broncos: Tight ends to consider early in the 2019 Draft

By Sayre Bedinger

IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 22: Tight ends Noah Fant #87 and T.J. Hockenson #38 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate a touchdown during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers on September 22, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 22: Tight ends Noah Fant #87 and T.J. Hockenson #38 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate a touchdown during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers on September 22, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 13: T.J. Hockenson #38 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs for a touchdown against the Indiana Hossiers at Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 13: T.J. Hockenson #38 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs for a touchdown against the Indiana Hossiers at Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

1. TJ Hockenson, Iowa Hawkeyes

As a redshirt sophomore at Iowa, TJ Hockenson won the Mackey Award as the top tight end in all of college football.

In two seasons at Iowa, Hockenson caught 73 passes for 1,080 yards (14.8 per catch), and nine touchdowns.

Here are his measurements from the 2019 Scouting Combine:

Height: 6-4 6/8
Weight: 251
Hand: 9 4/8
Wingspan: 77 7/8
40-yard dash: 4.70

At the combine, Hockenson has checked every box. At Iowa, Hockenson checked every box.

He’s exactly what NFL teams are looking for from the tight end position as a guy who can play in-line, out wide, block, run great routes, and provide a red zone mismatch.

Because Hockenson is really that ‘five-tool’ type of player at the tight end position, he might be one who is worth a top 10 selection.

Back in 2017, I thought OJ Howard of Alabama was a guaranteed top 10 pick, and he nearly fell to the Broncos at pick no. 20. As it turns out, Howard has become one of the best players in the class of 2017 and Garett Bolles has struggled in his first two seasons.

The Broncos need a difference maker at tight end and John Elway has talked in the past about how hard it is to find guys who can play in-line, which is probably why they have so many Big Ten tight ends on the roster.

Hockenson is a guy who could play immediately and excel in the NFL.

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