The Detroit Lions made tight end T.J. Hockenson their first-round pick (No. 8 overall) Thursday night and introduced him to the media in Allen Park in a press conference Friday afternoon.
Over the last couple days we've heard a lot about Hockenson the football player, but what about Hockenson the person?
Here are five things we learned about one of the newest Lions:
1. Hockenson is a HUGE Disney fan. The Lion King is his favorite movie. That explains the socks he was wearing Thursday night in Nashville. He's so much of a Disney fan, his dog is named Lilo, like the movie Lilo and Stitch.
2. One of his favorite hobbies away from football is golf. It just so happens Michigan is one of the best golf meccas in the country. Hockenson was both surprised and pleased to learn about the Par 3 hole behind the practice facility. Could I have a new contestant in my Par 3 challenge this year?
3. Hockenson weighed just 220 pounds when he walked onto Iowa's football team as a freshman. He learned pretty quick he'd have to put on some weight to go against the defenders.
"They'll definitely get you tougher," Hockenson said about some of those early battles against defensive linemen. "They were fun though. You just have to play the game. When you get knocked down you have to get back up and go back at it and go as hard as you can."
4. One of the best new traditions in college football is the Kinnick Wave all Iowa football fans and players in the stadium give to The Children's Hospital built overlooking Kinnick Stadium. Hockenson talked in length about how that experience, as well as visiting the children in the hospital, is something that put life and football into better perspective for him.
5. Hockenson expects to be pretty busy next week, but not because of offseason training. He can't participate until rookie minicamp. He will be busy, however, going through the estimated 600 text messages from friends and well-wishers on his phone.
"I don't even know what I'm going to do," Hockenson said with a laugh of the messages on his phone. "I'm going to spend a lot of next week deciphering through them."
