Official 2020 NFL Combine Thread

[call_me_ishmael]

I tend to agree that Hooper is overrated. But he did excellent for my fantasy team so who am I to complain.

[run pMc]

I tend to agree that Hooper is overrated. But he did excellent for my fantasy team so who am I to complain.

LOL understood. I think he's good, but I wonder if he's worth paying $10M a year to catch 3 out of 4 throws to him a game. I have doubts that Rodgers/MLF will use him they way ATL did.

I guess if you're looking at it as cutting Graham and giving Hooper the same amount of money then it's not so bad.

[RashanGary]

I watched about 10 or so falcon games last year. Hooper was really impressive to me. Tough, competitive, reliable dude

[Bretsky]

I watched about 10 or so falcon games last year. Hooper was really impressive to me. Tough, competitive, reliable dude

I would agree; he's the guy who does all the little things right as well. Jimmy for Hoops to me is a huge upgrade and we're stable at TE for a few years.

I'm not pounding the table for him; as long as we cut Jimmy and use the money wisely it'll be a huge upgrade somewhere

[Bretsky]

FUNNIEST ANSWER AT COMBINE



Trey Adams had his privacy violated this weekend, but he gained a ton of fans and popularity in the process.

A video of Adams answering a question at the NFL Combine was leaked on Twitter. In the video, Adams is asked “if you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?”

Adams, who was a two-time All Pac-12 offensive tackle at Washington, takes some time to think of his answer. Then he chuckles to himself and casually says, “bigger d–k.”

The humorous answer got some laughs before the questions proceeded.

Such videos/interviews from the Combine are supposed to be confidential, which is why many within the industry were upset.

[wist43]

Hooper's production came mostly on drag routes and sitting in zones.

He can't beat coverage on his own; hence, pass on him in FA.

[texaspackerbacker]

I agree. He's not much if any better than what we have three of - four if you count Graham.

[pbmax]

Hooper's production came mostly on drag routes and sitting in zones.

He can't beat coverage on his own; hence, pass on him in FA.

You should credit PFF if you use their stuff.

[Joemailman]

What PFF says about Hooper:

https://www.pff.com/nfl/free-agency

Hooper has developed into a solid receiving option, but he's more of a dependable, complementary piece rather than a mismatch creator. Since 2016, Hooper has gained 75.5% of his receiving production on targets defined as holes in zones or underneath the defense (think drag routes, flat routes) - by far the highest percentage in the league. Add to it that Hooper has just a 58.9 receiving grade against single coverage since 2016, and it's clear that his production has largely been a product of the situation in Atlanta. All that said, Hooper is a mid-tier run blocker who can take advantage of being surrounded by good playmakers on the outside, and he has value as a complementary piece in the passing game.

Better than Graham at this point, but worth 10 million, if that really is the market? I'm not so sure.

[wist43]

You should credit PFF if you use their stuff.

He's always been that... nothing new.

[run pMc]

Better than Graham at this point, but worth 10 million, if that really is the market? I'm not so sure.

This is my issue. I suppose you could roughly swap out Graham's salary for Hooper by cutting Graham, and get an in-prime TE who would be a good fit in MLF scheme. That part I'm ok with. I think Sternberger has potential, and if they sign Hooper could have a 1-2 punch.
Hooper is not Kelce or Kittle, and is at best a Top 10 TE. He will be paid like a Top 5 TE. (Actually, if he signs for 5/50, I believe he'll be the top paid TE; you always overpay in FA.)

I've considered if they be better off signing Emmanuel Sanders for 2/18M and finding a late round/cheap FA TE who is a glorified 6th OL that can occasionally flare out for a 4 yard out? (Maybe that's Marcedes Lewis.) Am thinking about a Foster Moreau type (or DickRod type who can actually block).
Sanders has averaged about 66-831-4 over the last 4 years, those are decent for a WR but would be very good numbers for a TE. My thinking is there are very few elite TEs and it might be easier/cheaper to get the same production with a WR. Over time I'm not so sure about this anymore, depending on the TE... but if you look at the list of TEs and their contracts it's pretty ugly (Cameron Brate: 6/40M, Jack Doyle: 3/21M). Compared to some of these, Austin Hooper for 5/50M might not be bad.

[run pMc]

For reference, Blake Martinez combine stats:

Ht: 6015
Wt 237
Hand: 10
Arm 31 5/8
Wingspan: 76 5/8

Bench: 22
Vert: 28.5
Broad: 9'5"
20y SS: 4.2
3-cone 6.98
40 time: 4.71 (20y split: 2.73, 10 split: 1.61)

Sat on his combine stats except for the vert jump, which was 34 at his pro day.

[RashanGary]

Jason Witten had a pretty good career sitting in zones. Hooper can block and find soft spots in zones. He's a good player.