Chicago Bears draft prospects: Tight ends

Austin Hooper (6-foot-4, 250 pounds), Stanford

Stanford has been a factory for tight ends going to the NFL. In 2015, there were six former Cardinal tight ends who were playing in the league, including Zach Ertz, who recently signed a $40 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The next in line is Austin Hooper.

Hooper has good size and quickness. He could get down the seam quickly and cause matchup problems. He has a good catch radius and good hands.

In 2015, Hooper had 34 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns. He played only two seasons, but they were productive ones. He had 74 catches for 937 yards and eight touchdowns.

Hooper is a tenacious blocker. He has strong hands that could get into defenders’ chests, yet soft enough to make smooth catches.

While he doesn’t have great straight-line speed, Hooper has good acceleration. He is agile and can create separation.

Hooper has a long, lanky body, and he could gain about 15 pounds to fill it out.

If the Chicago Bears pick up a tight end through free agency, Hooper could be a good secondary player. That was the role he played at Stanford. Once he plays a season or so and fills out his body, he could become a starter.

Stanford knows how to raise tight ends, and they raised another one in Austin Hooper.

Next: He has the surest hands in his class