Austin Hooper- Stanford Cardinal

Position: Tight End

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 254

Year: RS Sophomore

Hometown: San Ramon, CA

Experience: 2 year starter

Measurables:

40yd dash: 4.72

Broad jump: 117

Vertical: 33

3-cone: 7.00

20yd Shuttle: 4.32

Bench Press: 19

Career Notes:

Austin Hooper declared for the draft with two years of eligibility remaining, hoping to continue the recent success of Stanford tight ends. In a “weak” tight end class, he is the consensus #2 tight end behind Hunter Henry. After being redshirted his first year, Hooper became the primary pass-catching tight end for the past two seasons. He caught 44 passes for 498 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2015. Austin’s best game this year came in a win against USC in which he had 4 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Hooper lined up in-line or split-out wide and was asked to do a fair amount of blocking in Stanford’s offense. He also, played special teams and blocked an extra point this past season.

Injury Report: 

Austin did not have any significant injuries.

Career Stats: http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/austin-hooper-1.html

Analysis:

Speed/Quickness: 2.7/5.0 Average speed, but fast enough to beat linebackers and safeties in man coverage. Looks slow out of his stance and the last player to move when the ball is snapped, but gets up to speed quickly.

Route Running: 2.9/5.0 Finds soft spots in zone coverage and works back to the quarterback when he is flushed from the pocket. Looks smooth running routes. Deceptive speed and able to maintain speed through cuts. Needs to fight through contact better to stay on his route. Impressed scouts with route running during combine drills and finished near the top of TE group in the 3-cone drill.

Hands: 3.3/5.0 Has large 10-5/8” hands. Catches most balls with his hands instead of letting it get into his body. Goes up and gets ball in a crowd and strong hands prevent ball from being ripped out.

YAC Ability: 2.8/5.0 Shifty in the open field, but also puts head down and drives forward to get as many yards as possible, dragging defenders. Able to create enough separation with cuts to get yards after the catch.

Blocking: 3.0/5.0 Asked to do a lot of blocking, even in passing situations. Not the best blocker, but gets the job done with effort and blocks till the whistle. Understands his assignment. When runners break through the line of scrimmage, Austin heads downfield to try blocking someone else. Is willing to block and get in the action in the trenches so his blocking can probably be improved with practice and increased strength.

Summary: Austin Hooper may have benefited from another year or two in college, but he has the physical traits to develop into a solid all-around tight end. He knows his job on offense and plays hard. He plays faster than he looks, with above average COD. Does most of his work within 15 yards    

Overall Grade: 2.9/5.0  

If drafted by the Packers:

Tight end was one of the worst positions last year for the Packers. The Packers like tight ends that can block as well as catch the ball so they can keep them on the field and run many different plays with the same personnel. Richard Rodgers is a big target with good hands, but he doesn’t have the speed to put pressure on a defense outside of the redzone.

Austin is projected to go in the second round in the draft. Hooper could develop into a complete tight end, with the ability to get down the field and also block in the running game. If he can learn the offense quickly, which wouldn’t be a surprise for a Stanford player, Austin could work his way into the lineup. However, he probably can’t be an instant fix at tight end in the passing game, so I am not sure he is worth picking that high.

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