There are many directions the Jacksonville Jaguars could go during Thursday’s draft, all of which we’ve discussed at some point this offseason. One possibility for the team is taking tight end T.J. Hockenson of Iowa, who would fill a big need for the team and give Nick Foles a weapon at a position he loves to utilize. However, many tend to believe the Jags are one of many teams who don’t value the position enough to be taken that high, but after Monday’s draft luncheon with the Jags front office, it appears that may not be the case as personnel executive Tom Coughlin made some rather interesting statements.
“If you’ve got an outstanding football player [specifically a tight end] who is high quality, well thought of [and] contributing in a lot of different ways, who’s to say they can’t go in the top 10?,” Coughlin said Monday […] “I read about all that (and) I hear all that, but I think it’s very difficult to say based on just a general statement that [tight ends] should not belong [in the top 10]. That kind of riles me up a little bit because there have been a bunch [of tight ends] over the course of history that if they weren’t taken in the top 10, you sure as hell wish they were.”
As much as many are conflicted (including myself) with the idea, Coughlin is right. If the player is a prospect who the front office trusts to be a star for their franchise, then take him. That surely could be the case for Hockenson, who some view as a top-10 player in the draft.
However, one thing to be wary of is the lack of success that has come from tight ends drafted in Round 1 — and while there have also been some good selections — most of the league’s top tight ends weren’t first-round picks. Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Rob Gronkowski (who is now retired), Zach Ertz and several others were just some of the few tight ends drafted in the second-round or later, which is alarming. It also indicates that the tight end who most scouts deem as the No. 1 tight end of their respective draft normally doesn’t pan out (in most cases). That’s not to say Hockenson won’t pan out, but in drafting him, history would be against them.
Personally, I’m a fan of Hockenson, but the bigger question is does the Jags front office have the bold nature to draft him with the No. 7 overall pick? It’s a move that could pay off big if he’s the weapon we’ve seen Ertz, Kelce and company become, but if it doesn’t pan out, he could be another Coughlin first-round disappointment.
