Upon arriving at the 2022 trade deadline, T.J. Hockenson wasted no time becoming a top target in the Minnesota Vikings' offense. Over 10 games to finish that season, he had 60 receptions, and the following season, he had 95 catches in 15 games.
Of course, Hockenson's 2023 season ended early due to a torn ACL and MCL, which impacted his effectiveness when he returned to action in the middle of last season. In 10 regular-season games, he had 41 catches for 455 yards without a touchdown, though he did score in the Wild Card Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams as part of his five catches for 64 yards.
Hockenson was able to go through his typical workout routine this offseason, and being further removed from the knee injury has elevated expectations for what he can do this season. He is in line to be an important target for J.J. McCarthy.
Via Andrew Krammer of the Minnesota Star Tribune, Hockenson made a bold claim bout his abilities in a critical area.
"I’m one of the top route-running tight ends in the league,” Hockenson said. “I pride myself on creating separation and you look at it and that’s what I do on Sundays."
You don't produce like Hockenson has, with multiple different quarterbacks (McCarthy will be the 12th different quarterback to throw him a pass), without being very good at your craft. And without overwhelming speed or athleticism, the core of Hockenson's craft is his route running.
But, is what the Vikings tight end says about himself true?
Proving (or disproving) Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson's claim about his route running
Even with multiple sources supplying slightly different data, we can still try to prove, disprove, and summarize Hockenson's general claim about his route running.
Last season, according to Player Profiler, Hockenson was 10th among tight ends in yards per route run (2.03), third in first downs per route run (0.13), and 32nd in average yards of separation (1.71). Sumer Sports had him 15th among tight ends in yards per route run (1.69 YPRR, minimum 25 receptions).
Hockenson was, of course, operating at something less than his full capability last season, coming off the knee injury. Let's be fair and examine his 2023 campaign using the same metrics.
In 2023, per Player Profiler, Hockenson was fifth among tight ends in yards per route run (1.93), seventh in first downs per route run (0.10), and 24th in average yards of separation (1.83). Sumer Sports also had him fifth among tight ends (minimum 25 catches) in yards per route run (2.04).
In 2022, Player Profiler had Hockenson No. 12 among tight ends in yards per route run (1.69) and 21st in average yards of separation (1.86). Sumer Sports (minimum 25 catches) also had him 12th in yards per route run (1.57).
Hockenson did not call himself one of the best at creating separation among his tight end peers, and the numbers (while certainly not awful) back that up. As for his assertion, he's one of the best route runners in the league at the position, a couple of notable numbers (at least) say he's not wrong.