3. Does Austin Hooper have another gear?
Hooper isn’t conjuring up images of Tony Gonzalez in the ATL, but he doesn’t get the press he deserves. The third year pro has quietly developed into an above-average starting tight end for the Falcons.
Last season Hooper checked in with 49 catches for 526 yards. That’s a pretty impressive total considering how many throws go the way of Jones and Sanu. The question now is whether or not Hooper has the talent to really step into the highest echelon of NFL tight ends.
To do that, he’ll need to up his production even more. Something along the lines of 75 catches for 750 yards would likely be enough to merit serious Pro Bowl consideration. That might be tough to achieve given the competition for catches on this team, but it’s not impossible. Ryan has clearly shown his propensity to use the tight end as a downfield weapon in the past.
The real key for Hooper is to increase his yards per catch. 10.7 isn’t a bad number for a tight end, but there’s enough room in this offense for him to add a few yards to that total without doing anything special. Look for Hooper to try to work deeper down the seam in 2018.