Lions' T.J. Hockenson says he still 'notices' his ankle injury, but claims he's improving every day

Hockenson says he's 100 percent, but admits he's still trying to get over his ankle issue

Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson started off his NFL career with a bang, as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft caught six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in the season opening tie with the Arizona Cardinals. He wouldn't come close to those numbers for the rest of the year, however, and his season ended in anti-climactic fashion after he suffered a serious ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve. While Hockenson has since recovered and claims he's 100 percent, he admitted that he still "notices" his ankle. 

"Yeah, I'm out there running around. I'm doing everything I was able to do last year, just trying to improve on it," Hockenson said, via MLive.com. "The ankle is still there, I still notice it, but I'm getting there. I'm 100 percent.

"I think that's one of the things I'm trying to keep using. Sometimes guys, after an injury, come back and baby that. That's not something I want to do. That's not something I even want to pay attention to, that's what I'm getting towards and kind of where I'm at, at this point. I'm super excited for this year. I'm ready to go, out there running around and we're all just trying to push forward."

Hockenson is expected to play a major role in what is an already-loaded passing attack. In his rookie season, Hockenson caught 32 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games, but the Lions know he's capable of much more. It's a tad worrying that he still notices his ankle issue -- especially considering how gruesome the injury was -- but he's confident he's improving each day. 

From a fantasy perspective, the key for Hockenson is getting the volume necessary to register as a top tight end. Having to share the ball with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola could keep him under 100 targets. Hockenson may not be your No. 1 tight end in 2020, but he's still valuable in dynasty leagues. CBS Sports fantasy writer Heath Cummings has claimed that he and Noah Fant of the Denver Broncos could break out at any time, but it may require some patience. 

While Hockenson wasn't as productive as Fant, he has a better pedigree. Only three other tight ends have been selected in the first 10 picks of the NFL Draft since 2000. All of them before Hockenson went on to have at least one monster year of production. Vernon Davis had two seasons as the No. 1 tight end and four top-10 seasons. Kellen Winsolow finished seventh or better four times in five seasons. Eric Ebron has only had one top-five season so far, but he was a top-12 option on a per-game basis two other times. So what's the bottom line? Hocksenson's injury and rookie year in general shouldn't scare you.