What more could you want out of a tight end prospect?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Detroit Lions NewsDetroit Lions NotesDetroit Lions AnalysisDetroit Lions TransactionsDetroit Lions Game RecapsNFL DraftThe Detroit Lions should draft Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson New White Travis Fulgham Jersey ,74commentsWhat more could you want out of a tight end prospect?EDTShareTweetShareShareThe Detroit Lions should draft Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson Mike Granse-USA TODAY SportsAnyone who has been around the NFL draft for a few years has heard the phrase “there is no perfect prospect” thousands of times. What if I told you that anyone who says that is wrong? What if there was a prospect who could bring literally anything you could ask for out of someone who played his position?Enter Iowa Hawkeyes tight end T.J. Hockenson. It’s impossible to overstate what this guy can bring to a team. There has never been a football player that embodies the saying “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” better than Hockenson. He is an excellent receiver that combines strong, hard, releases at the line of scrimmage with silky-smooth route running that reminds you of the best of wide receivers over the years. He is strong and ferocious at the point of attack, using every inch of his 6’5 frame to snag passes when they are thrown anywhere within his reach. Contrast that with his soft hands, that act as safety cushions for the ball to rest in as he brings in almost every pass without fail.After the catch he has surprising burst and long speed that leaves defenders eating dust as he scorches them for huge gains. He has the footwork and flexibility to dance his away around defenders, and if that does not work he has the strength to just bulldoze through them.That does not even include what he does in the trenches. Hockenson is a fierce, violent Danny Amendola Jersey , blocker who attacks defenders and drives them into submission. He is relentless and never gives up on a play. Every snap with this guy on the field feels like the final stand of a great war. He has more than just raw power, though, as his near-excellent blocking technique and high football IQ allow him to take on even the biggest of challenges up front. The craziest part is that he can only get better from here. Hockenson is an elite athlete who killed the NFL Combine in March. He showed incredible burst and speed for someone of his size and he proved to be surprisingly nimble. Hockenson’s ceiling as a prospect is in the Stratosphere. Detroit is in need of a starting tight end and a potential all-time great might fall to them at the eighth pick in the draft. He would breathe life into a stagnant offense and provide Matthew Stafford with another incredible weapon to take advantage of the quarterbacks special talent. If T.J. Hockenson is on the board when the Lions are on the clock then they have no excuse not to select him. The Lions offense was really missing a spark on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. That spark was Golden Tate. The Lions offense struggled against the Seahawks in Week 8, but what kept them alive in so many cases was Golden Tate. You could argue that the day would have been so much more worse for Stafford and company if they didn’t have the ultimate safety valve in Tate, who caught seven passes for 50 yards and helped convert two third downs.Just before the trade deadline, the Lions decided to trade Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick. This was a move that obviously came with a lot of hurt feelings from the fans and stunned players in the locker room. But in the end, it seemed like the right thing to do for the future. But as the Lions went into Minnesota on Sunday, we saw that this trade was going to do a lot more to hurt today’s team than some believed. After the game Trey Flowers Jersey , it seemed like the Lions were doing everything they can to put on a happy face and act like it wasn’t a big deal. “He’s a good player, but he’s not on our team.” This was Matthew Stafford’s response when asked about Tate after the game. Matthew got sacked 10 times in this game. There’s a lot of blame to go around for that. Some of it had to do with the Lions’ offensive line, and a lot of it had to do with Matthew himself. One of the clear-cut reasons Stafford was hit so many times is because he lost his check-down opiton. No matter what kind of trouble Stafford was in, Golden Tate would be right there to dig him out of it. A check-down to Tate is no normal check-down, Tate was able to take a normal looking dump-off and turn it into so much more. On Sunday, it seemed like Stafford was looking for Tate out there on the field, or at least looking for someone to take Tate’s place. Nobody could do that. It led to Stafford hanging on to the ball too long. In some cases, it led to Stafford trying to do too much Damon Harrison Jersey , like the fumbled pitch to Kerryon Johnson.It seems crazy to think that a team could fall off so badly after losing just one player, and so many fans convinced themselves that wasn’t a big deal. I think the Lions themselves tried to do that, too.After the game, still, Lions head coach Matt Patricia assured the media that they were comfortable without Tate, because they knew they had a lot of good players on the roster. The team repeated a similar mantra all week and will likely continue to after this. One has to wonder if this is the kind of move that will someday be referred to as one of the many reasons general manager Bob Quinn is on the hot seat. I would certainly say it’s not fair to put him there now based on his draft record and some of the signings and trades he’s made. It really looks like the Lions have an actual plan, for once, that doesn't just include “maybe next year.” But if everything fails Ricky Jean Francois Jersey , we may look back on the Tate trade, and this game will serve as a reminder of where it all started to go wrong. The Lions and Bob Quinn will no one to blame but themselves, even if they did spend most of the time saying it was alright.