The question about T.J. Hockenson this season isn't if he will produce; it's when he will produce. He tore his ACL and MCL at the end of December and then had to wait a couple of weeks to let the healing process start before he could even have surgery. Typically, a return from ACL takes anywhere between 9 to 12 months. If T.J. Hockenson is lucky, he could end up being ready for the NFL season around week four. Kevin O'Connell made a couple of comments a few weeks back noting that if it were not for the new injured reserve rules, T.J. Hockenson would likely start the 2024 season on the PUP list, which would put him out through week four.
Now, if the timeline is closer to 12 months, then more than likely, we're looking at T.J. Hockenson not being back until week six or maybe even after the bye. If you can wait and get T.J. Hockenson in the double-digit rounds after a majority of the other tight ends are off the board, then I would say go for it. But if you're drafting relatively early in the offseason, it's hard for me to invest too much draft capital into T.J. Hockenson without knowing exactly when he will be back. That timeline will probably clear up after we get into training camp and get closer to the beginning of the season.
But Hockenson is going to need time to ramp up, and it's not like the Minnesota Vikings are short on weapons either. So if you want to draft T.J. Hockenson in round 10 or later when you have all of your starters filled and you're just taking a dart throw on some late-round picks, have at it. I'm all for it. But if you're investing in him to be your starter at any point in time, you're probably risking way too much then.
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