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Iowa football: A look at which non-senior Hawkeyes may enter this years NFL Draft

By Andrew Wade

IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is taken out of bounds during the third quarter by defensive back Amani Hooker #27 and Manny Rugamba #5 of the Iowa Hawkeyes on September 23, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is taken out of bounds during the third quarter by defensive back Amani Hooker #27 and Manny Rugamba #5 of the Iowa Hawkeyes on September 23, 2017 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 catches a touchdown pass 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 catches a touchdown pass against the Indiana Hossiers at Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

TJ Hockenson

If you are TJ Hockenson, what more do you need to prove?

He had one of the most impressive seasons in Iowa football history at the tight end position, and he raked in the awards left and right with multiple tight end of the year awards and being named First Team All-Big Ten.

Adding to his case to leave is the fact that athletic three-down tight ends (a la George Kittle) are in vogue right now, and this years wide receiver class leaves a bit to be desired.

Lastly, could he improve his stock that much more after making an incredible jump from his redshirt freshman to redshirt sophomore season? He’s already listed as a top-40 prospect on numerous draft boards including The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyards big board which has Hockenson at number 35.

As NFL Mocks site expert Sayre Bedinger said in an article about Hockenson last month:

"What’s the point in waiting to make the jump to the NFL if talent evaluators like what they see, and you have the prototypical skill set for today’s game?"

It’s definitely a decision that Hockenson isn’t taking lightly at this point. In an interview with Chad Leistikow, Hockenson had this to say:

"“I’m trying to take in as much information as I can,” Hockenson said, “then make a decision from there.” I asked him Sunday: If you win the Mackey Award (and he should), how do you improve from that? “There’s a lot of things I can improve on,” the Big Ten Conference’s tight end of the year responded."

While it wouldn’t surprise me to see him stay considering he is a small-town Iowa kid who is living the dream right now as a star Iowa football player, I have to believe he’s gone.

Verdict: He enters the draft

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