In their quest to upgrade the horribly deficient tight end position, the Detroit Lions focused on complete players, not just receiving talents. Both first-round pick T.J. Hockenson from Iowa and seventh-rounder Isaac Nauta from Georgia also excelled at blocking as collegiate tight ends.
Both Hockenson and Nauta appear in the top five run blocking grades issued to draft-eligible tight ends from Pro Football Focus. PFF scored Nauta third and Hockenson fifth in their 2018 game grading.
The rotating cast of inadequacy at the position in 2018 was good at neither blocking nor receiving, so consider this a potentially massive upgrade at tight end for GM Bob Quinn and the Lions.
