Austin Hooper 2020 Outlook: A Sound ADP Investment
4 years agoAustin Hooper finally lived up to expectations in 2019 by hauling in 75 of 97 targets for 787 yards and six scores across just 13 games. He now finds himself in Cleveland where he will be the clear-cut number one tight end heading into 2020. While the Browns did not feature the tight end as much in 2019 as noted by the 69 targets garnered by the position, they did not exactly have a specimen like Austin Hooper to get the ball to. Hooper had a ridiculous catch rate of 78.1%, which ranked him in the top 15 percent of the league. The Browns have always wanted David Njoku to succeed, but he was never able to do so in large part because of his abysmal reliability with catching the ball. They no longer have to worry about that with the addition of Hooper. Hooper also averaged nearly 50 air yards per game in 2019, so Mayfield will have opportunities to hit him down the field for solid distance. While he will likely fall behind Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. as far as targets are concerned, keep in mind that Hooper also had two stud receivers in Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley to compete with while in Atlanta last season. Hooper currently has an ADP of 63 overall and is being drafted as the fifth tight end off the board. This draft position is probably spot-on as it is difficult to imagine him climbing into the top 4 unless Zach Ertz (again?) or Mark Andrews are unable to live up to expectations.