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NFL Draft Scouting Report: Bucky Hodges, TE, Virginia Tech

Scouting Report: Virginia Tech tight end Bucky Hodges is profiled for the 2017 NFL Draft.

Bucky Hodges- Virginia Tech Hokies

Position: Tight End
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 257
Year: Junior
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Experience: Red Shirt Jr.- 3 year starter

 

Measurables:

40yd dash: 4.57s
Broad jump: 134 in
Vertical: 39 in
3-cone: N/A
20yd. Shuttle: 4.45s
Bench Press: 18 reps

 

Career Notes:

Bucky Hodges came to Virginia Tech as a highly touted four star quarterback prospect, but was converted to tight end by the coaching staff after being redshirted his freshman year. Hodges became a full time starter at TE after the redshirt year and was named Third Team All ACC three times. During his career with the Hokies Hodges improved every year as he got more comfortable at his new position and he quickly became a favorite target for QB Jerod Evans.

Virginia Tech used Bucky Hodges primarily as a pass catcher at Virginia Tech and rarely had him blocking. Hodges lined up all over the field- in the slot, as the boundary receiver, and even as an option in read option plays. With more and more tight ends prospering as pass catchers in the NFL, Hodges traits as a pass catcher are certainly valued highly by front offices.

The first thing you'll notice about Hodges when you watch his tape is his size. At 6’6” and 257 lbs. Hodges looked like he could eat most cornerbacks he lined up against for breakfast. Hodges is long and lengthy which gives him a large catch radius that quarterbacks in the NFL love as well as the athleticism to create separation against both linebackers and defensive backs. "A man amongst boys" is a perfect way to describe Hodges when he's dominating over the middle of the field or up the sidelines, making him one of the most intriguing raw prospects in this draft.

 

Injury Report: 

No known injuries.

 

Career Stats(click here):

Analysis:

Speed/Quickness-4.5/5

For a man his size, Bucky Hodges can fly. His 4.57 40 time while weighing 257 lbs at 6’6 is out of this world, and it translates on the field. Teams facing Hodges knew better than to put a linebacker on him because there simply aren't many linebackers who can keep up with such a freak of nature. Hodges shows off his quickness while running his routes and by creating separation against many of the cornerbacks he faced. In fact, Hodges athleticism is so impressive he even saw some carries in read option plays as well as designed screen plays for him. There aren’t many players in this draft class that are as special as Hodges is when it comes to pure athleticism.

Route Running-3.0/5

Hodges didn’t run a wide variety of routes at Virginia Tech, but the routes he did run (mostly ins, outs, and streaks) were solid. While he doesn’t sink his hips enough to cut on a dime, Hodges cuts are still enough to fool opposing defenders. One thing Hodges is exceptionally good at is setting up cornerbacks to one side with his body position and a quick head fake and then quickly running the other way, leaving the corner in the dust. He might not run the most explosive routes, but he still knows how to create separation.  Hodges isn’t a polished route runner by any means (he’s only played TE for three years), and he still has much to learn in the NFL, but with the right coaching staff  Hodges has the potential to increase his route running arsenal.

Hands-2.5/5

Watching Hodges was frustrating at times because there were so many big plays he should have made, but didn’t because he let the ball slip right through his fingers. One thing Hodges absolutely has to eliminate from his game is his tendency to catch the ball with his body. Hodges doesn’t high point the ball very well, instead opting to wrap his arms around the ball and hug it into his chest. He might have gotten away with it in college, but NFL defensive backs are too savvy for Hodges to continue getting away with not catching the ball away from his body. Another area where Hodges hands get him into trouble is when he's targeted deep. Hodges lacks the ball tracking skills and concentration to hook in passes that are thrown out in front of him on "go" routes, and if he has to lay out for the catch it’s not likely he’ll catch it. I saw Hodges lay out for the ball just for it to graze the insides of his palms and hit the ground far too many times. Hodges is also iffy on contested catches. I saw him catch his fair share of 50/50 balls, but for a man his size he should have been able to win a lot more. His inability to consistently catch those jump balls goes back to his bad habit of body catching, but if he learns to extend his arms and catch with his hands the sky will be the limit with Hodges. The good part about Hodges’ hands is that he catches most uncontested passes, and he does have the ability to win a lot of contested catches. Hodges also showed very nice, active hands while catching back shoulder throws and his frame coupled with his vertical gives him a gigantic catch radius.

YAC Ability-2/5

Hodges didn’t impress much in his ability to create after the catch. A lot of the time Hodges gets tackled as soon as he catches the ball, and he doesn’t offer much resistance. One thing I will say is that it’s hard to take Hodges down due to his massive size, and that can lead to extra yards on short passes, but other than that Hodges leaves much to be desired especially with the natural athletecism he posesses.

Blocking-1.5/5

Want a blocking tight end to help your run game? Then you’d be better looking somewhere else because Hodges is about as unpolished as it gets. He regularly missed his assignments, didn’t lower his pads, and didn’t seem to be interested in blocking most of the time. Instead of attacking the defender, Hodges would lumber over and make a half hearted attempt at a block. Some of the times this approach worked because of how big and strong Hodges is, but he’ll get eaten up in the NFL. If there’s one thing Hodges did well as a blocker, it was acting as a decent anchor, but that won’t help much in the run game.

Summary:

In short, Bucky Hodges is a project. He’s only played TE for three years and still has much to learn when it comes to the fundamentals of the position. His raw athleticism and size make him an exciting prospect, but unless he commits himself to becoming a better blocker and catching with his hands as opposed to his body he’s not starter material. It’s very possible Hodges will transition to WR in the NFL where his blocking wouldn’t be as much as a liability.  

 

Overall: 2.7/5.0

 

If Drafted by the Packers:

With the recent signings of Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks, the Packers probably won’t be looking for a tight end in this draft class, but in theory Bucky Hodges wouldn’t be a bad 4th round pick. His speed and height allow him to create mismatches and stretch the field, which showed to be of humongous value to the offense last year with Jared Cook doing the same things. Furthermore, with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers putting the ball in just the right place, Hodges’ weaknesses as a pass catcher could be partially covered up. That being said, his blocking will keep him off the field for large portions of the game unless the Packers converted him to WR. As a wide receiver, Hodges would definitely have to fix his hands issue and learn a wider variety of routes, but he would be an intriguing project for the coaching staff to develop behind Nelson and Adams.

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